favorite squash recipes..
 

Im drowning in Zucchinis... anyone have any favorite vegetarian recipes. So far I have fried it, made squash casserole with cheese and squash quiche.
Im going to pull out some of the Greek recipes with tomatoes but after that Im out of ideas.

Anyone who is growing eggplant and likes to cook might want to try this Greek recipe. It takes a while to make but you can make a very large quantify n a big pan and either freeze or eat it all week. It taste better after it has sat at least a few hours after cooking.


In Greek: μουσακά με μελιτζάνες, pronounced moo-sah-KAH meh meh-leed-ZAH-nes

Moussaka can be any dish of layered vegetables and ground meat, and dishes with the same or similar names are prepared in several areas of the world. Other Greek versions call for artichokes, potatoes, and zucchini, or a combination, but this is the classic known worldwide. Moussaka is generally served in large portions.

No one ever said it was easy, but it's worth the effort!

Step-by-step recipe with photos

Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
5-6 medium Globe eggplants (about 5-6 pounds)
sea salt
olive oil
4 medium onions, chopped
2 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or lamb)
3 cups of chopped ripe tomatoes with juice (or canned tomatoes)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a small stick (break off around 1 inch long)
1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
2 bay leaves
1 cup of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino or parmigiano reggiano)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of dry red wine
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
freshly ground pepper
b�chamel with cheese* or 6 cups of basic b�chamel**
Preparation:
* Recipe for B�chamel with Cheese
** Recipe for Basic B�chamel
Wash eggplants and trim off stems. Cut off 1/2-inch wide strips of the skin lengthwise, leaving about an inch in between, all around the eggplant, then cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. Put slices in a large bowl or on a tray, sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry. Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and run them under the broiler on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned and soft. Remove and set aside to cool.

Note: If you've never fixed this before, there are two reasons often given for salting the eggplant: (1) to remove any bitterness, and (2) to absorb some of the natural liquids.
Preheat the frying pan or skillet over low heat.

When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and increase the heat to medium low. Saut� the onions with a wooden spoon, until onions are translucent. Add the meat and continue to saut� until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, 1/2 the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, allspice, wine, and tomato paste, and mix well. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Note: If there is still liquid in the pan, continue to simmer uncovered, stirring to prevent sticking, until the mixture is as dry as possible. To prevent the final dish from having too much moisture, this step is crucial.

When dry, remove the cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick (if used), and set aside uncovered until ready to use.

While the sauce is simmering, make the b�chamel with cheese or 6 cups of basic b�chamel, cover, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Lightly oil a baking or roasting pan and sprinkle the bottom with the remaining breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the breadcrumbs (it's ok to overlap) and spread the meat mixture evenly on top. Cover with the remaining eggplant slices, and carefully pour the b�chamel sauce evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the cheese over the top, and continue to cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. Moussaka is traditionally eaten warm, not hot, and can also be eaten at room temperature.

Yield: approximately 8 servings

Serving suggestions:

Moussaka is traditionally served in very large pieces and it is a heavy dish. Serve with a green salad, crusty bread, and a dry red wine. If anyone has room for dessert, a fruit sorbet or cheese with fruit is a light way to end on a sweet note.

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

Called Callachi in Italian....hope I have spelling correct.

This recipe is for 10 squash zuks ,crook neck, yellow squash what ever.
In a large pot add rough chopped large onion saute with 1/4 -1/2 lb bacon
Add 6 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaf, 1 can tomato paste, 2 cans diced tomato (fresh if you have) 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flake,2 tablespoons sweet paprika and salt to taste....you can add 1/4 cup ketchup if you like.
Throw in all the rough chopped squash (1" thick slices).... cook till tender, about an hour or a little less.

You can serve with grated parmessan if you like
Bacon makes anything taste good.:wink:

Forgot to add> you may need to add a 1/2 cup water ....depends on how thick you like it

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

Here's a Japanese recipe I make called "Niku jaga"

Normally it's made with potatoes or "kabocha" (a small greenish pumpkin), but you could probably use your squash and it'd be good.

It's not vegetarian though, but you could possibly substitute something for the meat.

ingredients:

About 1lb of squash
a large onion
1 lb ground pork or beef or thinly sliced beef
sesame oil
mirin
soy sauce
short grain white rice

---

method:

1. Start the rice first. Rinse the rice in cold water with your hands, until the water coming off of it isn't cloudy. Put in pot/cooker with an EQUAL amount of water. If using a pot, bring to a boil covered then put on low until done.

2. Chop up pumpkin/squash in about 1" cubes, peel the skin off. Coarsely chop the onion.

3. In a big pot, brown the meat, and then drain most of the fat. Add in some sesame oil (2-4T?). When the oil and meat are heated, add the onions and cook until translucent. Then add about 1/2 c. mirin and a good amount of soy sauce. Add 1-2 c. water.

4. Boil almost all the water off the mixture while uncovered, until you have a nice syrupy sauce. When done, serve over the rice.

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

1/3 cup cornflake crumbs
1/2 tsp season salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 tbl parmesan or romano grated fine

3 tbl melted butter
1/2 large zuchinni (mine are 7 lbs each, lol)

mix dry ingredients in a bag

quarter lengthwise and remove seeds, then cut each quarter into 4-6 1/2" thick strips lengthwise, dip in butter, then cover with dry mix in the bag

put on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375f for 12 min or till golden brown/crispy

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

Zucchini bread is great, same idea as banana bread . Throw in a few choc.chips for the sweet tooth, goes great with coffee in the am.....

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

What about fridge pickling some zucchini spears to eat on the side with dinner?

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

zucchini bread good
pickled zucchini bad.. :bear_tongue:


Zucchini Bread Recipe


PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr
READY IN 1 Hr 40 Min
Original recipe yield 2 loaves



INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

No on the pickled zuch's? I think I like anything in vinegar.

The bread that my wife makes is fantastic. The one ingredient I know she does use is whole wheat flour. It makes for a stick-to-your-ribs kind of bite. I just asked her about cinnimon and she doesn't use it but she'll throw some in on the next batch. Thanks for posting your recipe.

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

I am just finishing the last of some stuffed zucchini I made last night from a recipe I made up, and I decided it was worth sharing. Actually, I'm being modest: it's AWESOME! Gotta make more next time since I'm also up to my ears in squash.

I used the large zucchinis for this, ones that were about the size of my forearm. The garden got away from me a bit last week. I made something close to my usual turkey stuffing, but chopped the breadcrumbs much finer than usual and spiced it a bit more. I also used less egg because I didn't want a solid mass of stuffing, but wanted it to be a bit crumbly. I used the bread heels and some old hot dog buns for the breadcrumbs and dried them in the oven.

Stuffed Zucchini

• 2-3 large or 5-6 small zucchinis
• 8 slices of dry breadcrumbs or croutons
• ~1/3 cup of butter (substitute all or part w/ olive oil for low cholesteral)
• 1 onion chopped fine
• ~5 celery stalks chopped fine
• 3/4 tsp. sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• ~1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ~2 tsp. Parmesan cheese

Split zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Brush or drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with a bit of salt
Arrange the zukes cut side up on a cookie sheet.
Set aside.

Saute the onions and celery in the butter or olive oil (along with the chopped scooped out zucchini guts if desired).
Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and sprinkle with sage and pepper
Sprinkle the butter, onion & celery mixture on the breadcrumbs and toss or stir
Beat the egg with the milk and add to the bread mixture
Stir to combine
Salt to taste

The mixture should be fairly moist, but not so wet that it will hold a shape if you ball it up. If it's too dry, add more milk and/or egg, and/or butter. (I admit that I wasn't measuring too closely; this is the first time I've written out my "secret" stuffing recipe, but I figure my secrets are safe here:wink:)

Spoon the stuffing into the seed cavity of the zukes
Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese
Cover loosely with aluminum foil (remove 5 minutes before baking time is up to crisp)
Bake ~25-30 minutes at 350 or until zucchini is soft
(baking time longer or shorter depending on zuke size)

The Parmesan cheese was an afterthought because I decided they needed a little something extra when I first tasted them, so I added a sprinkle of parm. and baked a bit longer to crisp it, and that did the trick.

Enjoy!

Re: favorite squash recipes..
 

Peel the zucchini, remove the seeds if they are large and seedy, run through food processor, measure and freeze for zucchini bread in the winter. We freeze in 2 cup batches, because that is what our recipe calls for.