FOOD HOLIDAY: National Zucchini Day, Spiral Zucchini & Zucchini Pasta

August 8, 2014 at 8:35 am · Filed under Food Holidays, Kitchenware-Tabletop, Recipes, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

Whether served raw, roasted, baked, grilled, sautéed, pickled, or fried, zucchini is one of the most versatile vegetables, and a seasonal summer favorite that’s abundantly available at farm stands and supermarkets.

This summer squash is very low in calories—33 calories for a medium zucchini.

There are many wonderful ways to serve zucchini:

Garnishes

Gratin

Grilled

Soufflé

Stir-fried zucchini ribbons

Zucchini and carrot slaw, “cole slaw” or salad

Zucchini pasta

Zucchini sticks, baked or fried

Two of our favorite recipes are below. To make them, treat yourself to the new Microplane Spiral Cutter, a tool that quickly and effortlessly transforms zucchini—as well as carrots, cucumbers, radishes and other vegetables—into elegant spiral cuts and ribbons.

Food fun with the new Microplane Spiral Cutter. Photo courtesy Microplane.

Thanks to Microplane for announcing this gadget in time for National Zucchini Day, August 8th.

Resembling an old-school manual pencil sharpener in both style and function, the Spiral Cutter has two razor-sharp (surgical steel!) slicing barrels to accommodate different vegetables—the small barrel for long, slim vegetables such as carrots, the large barrel for cucumbers, summer squash and other, broader vegetables.

It debuts this month in Black and Green for a suggested retail of $14.95. Learn more at Microplane.com.

Then, you’ll be set to whip up this delicious salad:

SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE # 1: THAI-STYLE ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD (BASED ON SOM TUM)

We love green papaya salad, som tum. We can easily eat two appetizer portions at our local Thai restaurant.

Our favorite guest blogger, Hannah Kaminsky, agrees. “Served chilled, the tender yet crisp strands of unripe papaya are cooling, yet still popping with bursts of heat from abundant flecks of chili peppers. Brightly acidic, tangy, and slightly salty, with just a touch of sweetness to take the edge off, every component must be in perfect balance to achieve a successful, harmonious dish.

“Of course, the key ingredient, green papaya, isn’t typically available in hometown grocery stores, which is why I took a page from the ever-popular zucchini noodles. They don’t stay crisp as long as papaya, so be sure to leave them undressed until the minute you’re ready to serve.

Zucchini Thai salad: zucchini replaces green
papaya in the classic som tum recipe. Photo
© Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog.

“Even without the papaya, this recipe transports me to a delicious new world of flavor with every single bite.

“The dish comes together very quickly, so prep all of your vegetables first and you’ll zip right through the rest of the preparation.”

Ingredients For 2-4 Servings

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons coconut sugar or dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

3-4 ounces (a big handful) haricots verts (skinny green beans), lightly blanched

2 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned

1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

1/2-1 red Thai chile, thinly sliced

Handful skinny chives or scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice, coconut sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and garlic. It will seem like a lot of liquid, but don’t worry: That’s exactly what you want. This isn’t like a traditional salad dressing; it should soak into the noodles a bit, and you will have a bit of a pool at the bottom when it’s in proper proportion.

2. PLACE the green beans, zucchini ribbons and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat. Add the chili, a bit at a time, until it’s spicy enough for your personal taste. Give it one more good toss to mix everything around and evenly distribute the ingredients before transferring everything to a serving dish.

3. TOP with a generous handful of sliced chives and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE # 2: ZUCCHINI “SPAGHETTI”

You will love this dish, part of our repertoire since we began to fashion our own “cuisine minceur” in high school. It does a great job emulating spaghetti, for very few calories and carbs.

Ingredients

Zucchini ribbons

Sauce of choice—red, white, pesto, EVOO and garlic, etc.

Grated Parmigiano-Romano or other Italian grating cheese (for a texture change, consider shaving instead of grating)

Optional garnishes: capers, fresh herbs, green peas or other vegetables, panko bread crumbs, sautéed garlic slivers, sliced olives or any favorite pasta topper

Preparation

1. COOK zucchini briefly, to al dente. (We steamed them in the microwave for 30 seconds).

2. PLATE with sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and any other ingredients.

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