Relatively inexpensive, readily available, and exceptionally versatile, zucchini is the most popular of summer squashes. It is most commonly found with a dark green rind, but at certain times of the year, you can find a variety with a striking bright-yellow-to-gold rind, referred to as Gold Bar squash. The gold variety tastes and cooks exactly the same but adds excellent contrast and eye appeal to the plate.
Size Matters
Zucchini is best between 6 to 8 inches in length with smooth, straight sides and good color. In the summer, many chefs seek out the tiny baby zucchini (courgettes), especially with the beautiful blossom still attached.
Squash Blossoms
Sold separately, these delicate orange flowers have become popular in recent years. They can be filled with cheese, battered and fried, cooked into a frittata, eaten raw, or added to a soup. Squash blossoms are incredibly fragile and have a very short shelf life, so buy only when you can use within a day or two. Once these were only available from your local farmer, but blossoms imported from Israel can now be sourced for most of the year.
A Versatile Veggie
Zucchini is excellent for stuffing, sautéing, grilling, deep-frying, or combining with other vegetables for dishes such as ratatouille. It can also be grated, combined with onions, fried into pancakes, or baked into a quick bread—yum!
Pan-Steamed Zucchini and Yellow Squash “Noodles”
Using a mandoline or a julienne peeler, slice two small zucchini and two small yellow squash into 1/4-inch-thick noodles. Discard center of the squashes with the seeds.
Heat 1 teaspoon butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 minced shallot and 1 minced garlic clove and sweat until shallot is translucent.
Add squash noodles and 3 tablespoons vegetable or chicken stock to the pan. Cover and pan-steam until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain excess liquid. Season with minced herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Recipe source:The Diabetes-Friendly Kitchen