Summer Squashorama–5 ways to use zucchini

Golden Earthworm farm harvested hundreds of pounds summer squash last week, and we scored ten in our CSA box Tuesday night.   Summer squash is in peak season all around the US right now, so there’s a good chance you’ve been seeing it in your local farmer’s markets and CSA boxes.  We got a serious lesson in how versatile this veg can be by working it into some of our favorite dishes.   With the help of our pantry, we made short work of all ten zucchini and for the second week in a row every single thing we ate was cooked, from scratch, in our kitchen (Exceptions: Birthday dinner last night for a friend at Sripraphai, and lunch with our family today).

5 Summer nights of Summer Squash:

Tuesday: Pasta with summer squash

Wednesday: Kohlrabi curry (substitute zucchini and eggplant)

Thursday: Farm fresh frittata (I used zucchini, cherry tomatoes, arrugula, feta and extra pasta that didn’t get sauced from Tuesday’s dinner)

Friday: Chicken tagine (added zucchini to this past recipe with awful cell phone photos)

Sunday: Zucchini tagine, see below

As you see, many of the recipes on Sustainable Pantry can be modified by substituting whatever veggies you have around. If you have any questions about substitutions, please email us at: comments {at} sustainablepantry {dot} com

Summer Squash Tagine

• 4 summer squash, cut legthwise into quarters, then sliced
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 green pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes (don’t strain)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ground chili (I used ancho), and ground turmeric
• 1 handfull raisins
• Extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup water

1. Heat a large pot over medium high heat; add about 2 T olive oil and saute the onions, garlic and ginger with salt and pepper until soft and golden.
   
2. Add pepper and zucchini with a pinch of salt, then cook for another 5-8 minutes, until the zucchini softens and picks up a little color.
   
3. Add cumin, cinnamon, chili and turmeric; stir for about a minute until very fragrant.
   
4. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, raisins, and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn heat down to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
   
5. Serve with couscous (I add sliced almonds, any herbs–fresh or dried–and sliced apricots to mine.)
   

Similar Posts:

• A Midseason Night’s Pasta
• Polenta with Summer Squash and Semi-Poached Egg
• Slow Cooked Veggie Chili Doctored Up for Dinner
• Stuff it! (Another thing to do with zucchini)
• Farm Fresh Ratatouille