My long-ago first encounter with garden-fresh summer squash was in a starkly simple preparation that left an impression. They were crookneck squash, a variety that you don’t see so much at the market these days, simply simmered with butter and water and topped with fresh snipped dill. Astonishingly good. The method is fine for pattypan or other summer squash.
The word zucchini is a diminutive of the Italian zucca, a large squash. So zucchini should be on the small side. Not tiny baby squash, picked too young, which tend to have tough, slightly bitter flesh, but younger and smaller than what you find in most supermarkets. (Commodity zucchini are usually grown to a particular length so they fit in a crate of a certain size, and they must grow straight for packing. Flavor is secondary.) Look for smaller zucchini and summer squash at the market or ask a neighbor with a vegetable garden, who will be only too happy to oblige. I have a thing about unblemished squashes. They look so beautiful still on the vine, firm and shiny-skinned—though if you look closely, you’ll notice a very fine coating of fuzz. That’s the squash ideal I aim for. Small, tender zucchini cook quickly, but fatter zucchini and yellow Gold Bar squash are best cut into biggish chunks for long, slow cooking.
Stewed Zucchini Pasta with Ricotta and Basil
Crisp stir-fried zucchini is great, but this is not that. Sometimes longer cooking really brings out the best, and it surely does here. The softened onions, garlic, olive oil, and zucchini coat the pasta in a lovely way, along with creamy ricotta, lemon zest, and basil pesto.
1 medium onion, finely diced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds zucchini, cut into ½-inch-thick slices (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
About 2 cups basil leaves
1 pound ziti or penne
12 ounces (1½ cups) fresh ricotta
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 ounces Parmesan or pecorino cheese, or a mixture, grated (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the onion in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat until softened, 5 to 8 minutes; reduce the heat as necessary to keep the onion from browning. Add the zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
While the zucchini cooks, use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic, basil, and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Salt the pasta water well and add the pasta, stirring. Cook per the package instructions, but make sure to keep the pasta quite al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Add the pasta to the skillet with the zucchini and turn the heat to medium-high. Add ½ cup of the cooking water, then add the ricotta, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary, then cook for 1 minute more. The mixture should look creamy; add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate.
Spoon the pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings
Raw Zucchini Salad
Slicing zucchini into long ribbons with a mandoline (or a sharp knife) gives plenty of surface area for this bright dressing of lemon, olive oil, and crumbled wild oregano. The salad can share the plate with meaty slices of tomato for a perfect summer antipasto.
Ricotta salata, available from most cheese shops, is made from sheep’s-milk ricotta that is salted and aged only briefly. It is similar to a mild feta but has a firmer texture, which allows it to be sliced, shaved, or crumbled. But this salad is just as good with shavings of Parmesan or pecorino.
2 pounds small yellow zucchini or other summer squash
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
12 squash blossoms (optional)
8 ounces ricotta salata (or substitute mild feta)
Dried oregano (wild if possible), for garnish
Trim both ends of each zucchini. Using a mandoline (or a sharp thin-bladed knife), cut the squash lengthwise into very thin slices. Put the squash in a large bowl and cover with a damp towel until you are ready to serve—it takes only a minute or two to finish the salad. (You can do this an hour or two ahead of time.)
Just before serving, season the squash lightly with salt and pepper and toss gently. Drizzle with olive oil just to coat, then add the lemon juice. Toss again, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Mound the dressed squash on a platter. If using squash blossoms, tear them (petals only) into strips and scatter them over the salad. With a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the cheese over the top of the salad, and sprinkle with a pinch of crumbled oregano. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings
Steamed Squash Blossoms with Ricotta and Herbs
Fresh squash blossoms are filled with herbed ricotta, then simmered and served in a buttery broth.
Beautiful squash blossoms are always a temptation at the market. If you have access to a vegetable patch, pick only the male blossoms, the ones standing tall with long stems; the female flowers are attached to the bottoms of as-yet unborn squash. Deep-frying the blossoms doesn’t always do them justice. Gently steaming them with a bit of butter brings out their vegetal goodness. Use the best fresh ricotta you can get. The squash blossoms may look fragile, but they’re actually fairly sturdy, so there’s no need to worry as you spoon the herbed ricotta inside them. The effect here is ravioli-like, so I serve this as a first course.
1 cup fresh ricotta
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
½ teaspoon finely chopped thyme
Salt and pepper
Tiny pinch of cayenne
12 squash blossoms
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup Blond Chicken Broth or water
Chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil (optional)
Put the ricotta in a small bowl, add the Parmesan, lemon zest, chives, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, a little freshly ground pepper, and the cayenne and stir everything together.
Carefully pull the squash petals open and put a heaping tablespoon of the filling mixture inside each blossom. Bring the petals back to surround the filling and reshape the blossom with your hands, flattening it a bit.
Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Arrange the blossoms in the pan in one layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Add the broth, put on the lid, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until the blossoms are heated through.
Lift the blossoms from the pan with a small spatula and arrange in shallow soup bowls. Spoon some of the buttery juices over and sprinkle with parsley, if using. Makes 4 to 6 servings