Zucchinis are among the most loved and cooked summer vegetables. They have very few calories, about 16 kilocalories per 100 grams and many therapeutic properties, mainly vitamin A – C and lots of potassium. They are also rich in fiber and antioxidants, diuretics and protect the eyes from UV rays. So there are many reasons to consume many of these vegetables both cooked and raw. Let’s start with the recipes.
Starters
Marinated raw zucchini carpaccio
Required for 6 people:
- 3 medium long zucchini
- some parsley and mint leaves
- 1 clove of garlic
- the juice of 1 lemon
- olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
Preparation of marinated raw zucchini carpaccio:
Wash the zucchini thoroughly, remove the ends and slice them lengthwise. Slices must be very thin, then use a suitable vegetable cutter or a mandolin. Now chop very finely the garlic and parsley and mint leaves. Add this chopped mixture to the zucchini slices and in the meantime prepare the marinade. Mix 5 or 6 tablespoons of olive oil with the juice of a lemon, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. In a plate put a little marinade, lay the zucchini slices on top, add more marinade and zucchini slices until you finish the ingredients. Leave in the fridge for about two hours before serving, covered with transparent film. If you can let it macerate all night long, so as to flavor the zucchini in the best way.
Zucchini rolls in the oven
Required for 6 people:
- 4 medium long zucchini
- 150 grams of raw ham
- 120 grams of cheese type provola or emmental cheese
- 1 egg
- breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, as much as needed
Preparation of baked zucchini rolls:
After washing the zucchini thoroughly and removing the ends, cut the zucchini lengthwise using a suitable vegetable cutter. They can be grilled or used raw. Add a small piece of cheese and a slice of ham over the zucchini slice. Roll up the zucchini slice, form a roll and set it aside. Do this with all the zucchini slices. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and after having passed the rolls in the breadcrumbs, put all the rolls on a wooden skewer. Prepare the skewers and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add olive oil to taste and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. They can be served either hot or cold the next day.
First courses:
Zucchini carbonara
Needed for the zucchini carbonara doses for 4 people:
- 400 grams of spaghetti
- 4 medium long zucchini
- 3 eggs
- 120 grams of grated cheese half Parmesan cheese, half Roman pecorino cheese
- olive oil, salt, pepper, quantum satis
Preparation of zucchini carbonara
Thoroughly wash the zucchini, remove the ends, cut them in 2 lengthwise and go to cut the zucchini into small pieces. In a non-stick pan with a drizzle of olive oil, cook the zucchini pieces for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Now we prepare the eggs which have to be beaten by adding the grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the salt, not putting too much of it as the Roman pecorino cheese is tasty. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water, when they are almost al dente drain them and pass them in the pan with the zucchini, add a little water from the pasta and let the pasta finish cooking, it will take a couple of minutes. At this point add the egg and mix well, until you get a creamy pasta. Bring to the table and serve hot.
A classic: pasta, shrimps and zucchini
Needed for pasta, shrimps and zucchini
Required for 4 people:
- 400 grams of pens or the pasta you prefer, short or long
- 250 grams of zucchini
- 300 grams of shrimps
- 50 grams of onion
- half glass of dry white wine
- 1 garlic woodpecker
- some parsley leaves
- olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of pasta, shrimps and zucchini:
First of all, wash the zucchini and shrimps thoroughly. The zucchini after removing the ends should be cut into thin slices, the shrimps should be shelled and the head and tail removed. In a pan with a drizzle of olive oil fry the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic clove that will be removed at the end of cooking. When they are golden brown add the zucchini cut into rounds and cook them for about 5 minutes, trying not to let them flake. At this point also add the shrimps and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper. Blend with the white wine and let it evaporate completely. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Once it is al dente, drain it and sauté it in a pan with the seasonings. Put some chopped parsley leaves on top and serve hot.
Spaghetti with tuna and zucchini
Needed for spaghetti with tuna and zucchini:
necessary for 4 people:
- 400 grams of spaghetti
- 250 grams of zucchini
- 200 grams of tuna loins in oil
- some date tomatoes 5 or 6
- half onion small
- salt, pepper and olive oil just enough
Preparation of spaghetti with tuna and zucchini:
In a pan with a drizzle of olive oil fry the half finely chopped onion. When it is golden brown add the zucchini washed and cut into thin slices and the date tomatoes cut in half. After a few minutes add the well-drained tuna fillets. Adjust salt and pepper. Let everything cook for two or three minutes to mix well all the ingredients. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water. Remove them a moment before they are “al dente” and sauté them in the pan with the sauce. If the sauce is a little dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. This first course can be served both hot and cold.
Second courses and side dishes
Zucchini Parmigiana
Required for 4 people:
- 6/8 medium-sized zucchini
- 400 grams of mozzarella cut into slices
- 500/600 grams of tomato puree
- 1 egg
- some basil leaves
- grated cheese just enough
- half red onion small
- salt and pepper
- seed oil for frying zucchini
- olive oil for the sauce
- parmesan cheese
Preparation of zucchini parmigiana:
After having washed and cut the ends of the zucchini, cut them into thin strips and fry them in abundant seed oil. Once fried, absorb the excess oil with absorbent paper. Now prepare the sauce. Brown the finely chopped half onion in a saucepan with a little olive oil, add the tomato puree, salt, pepper and basil leaves and cook for about ten minutes. Now prepare the beaten egg with a little salt and pepper. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices and start to put in a saucepan, on the bottom of which you have distributed a couple of tablespoons of tomato puree sauce, the strips of zucchini to cover the surface of the saucepan. On top put the slices of mozzarella and a few tablespoons of tomato puree. Now a couple of tablespoons of beaten egg and on top again a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Continue to make the layers until the end of the ingredients. In the meantime, heat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the Parmesan cheese for about 35/40 minutes.
Vegetarian stuffed zucchini
Needed for vegetarian stuffed zucchini for 4 people:
- 4 rather large zucchini
- 80 grams of rice
- 60 grams of breadcrumbs
- 80 grams of grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 eggs
- 2 peeled tomatoes
- 100 grams of tomato puree
- olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of vegetarian stuffed zucchini:
Thoroughly wash the zucchini, remove the ends and cut them in two lengthwise. Using a knife, empty the zucchini of the pulp that should be kept aside. In a frying pan fry the finely chopped garlic with a drizzle of olive oil, as soon as it becomes colored turn off the fire. In the same pan put the zucchini pulp, rice, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 2 peeled tomatoes and beaten eggs. Work everything until you get a homogeneous mixture, which will be used to stuff the zucchini. In an oiled baking pan pour a little tomato puree, arrange the zucchini and cover them with the remaining tomato puree. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes. Serve hot.
