Cucumbers, Zucchini and Squash, Oh My!
Special thanks to The Detroit News
“I can’t believe you’re growing all this back here!” my friend Lauren Cohen says, walking through our gate. She and her husband are joining us for dinner on the patio. She scans the garden.
“I just need a minute to take all this in.”
My backyard is home to an expansive herb and vegetable garden, and all season, it’s my happy place. From the last spring frost through late fall, my friends know they can find me out there planting, watering, trimming and weeding. They also know I incorporate food from the garden into meals, and they are eager to see what is on the menu.
Lauren is one of my favorite people to feed. We both love great food, and have enjoyed nearly 30 years of delicious meals together. Where I am passionate about cooking, she hates everything about it, avoiding it whenever possible. Lauren prefers outsourcing her meals, especially when they are made by me. She’s a true and loyal fan of my food, and declares each one of my dinners as her very favorite, while impressively wiping her plate clean.
As a chef, it doesn’t get much better than this. I love feeding people, especially the ones who love to eat. It’s how I share myself and bring people together, which gives me so much joy in my life. It’s even more meaningful when I grow part of what I’m cooking.
Zucchini and Squash Portrait
I love that these vegetables can be enjoyed raw right off the vine. I use the cucumbers for salads, pickling, or a refreshing tzatziki dipping sauce for grilled meats. Tonight, the cucumbers are tossed with tomatoes, toasted bread and bell peppers for a fattoush salad. I create raw salads with the zucchini and squash by shaving them into thin ribbons, and tossing them with lemon vinaigrette, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts and a pinch of feta.
Zucchini and squash are delicious cooked with minimal ingredients. They are fantastic grilled or sauteed, and an excellent ingredient for breads and cakes. For Lauren’s meal, I halve them, section into large pieces, and then coat with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I surround them with whole garlic cloves and cover with fresh oregano before I roast them. They oven is at 425 degrees to brown and cook quickly, before getting too soft.
Squash and zucchini blossoms are edible but fragile, and a delicacy for most culinarians. I choose flowers that are still perky, and fill them with a dollop of mild herbed goat cheese. I dip them in a seasoned batter, then fry them to a golden brown. Raw flowers can be stored in the fridge, in bag with a damp paper towel.
Summer produce typically has a relatively short shelf life, and will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Zucchini and squash, if blanched, can be frozen for up to three months. They should be handled with care because their skins are thin and easily damaged. I select the small, young fruits that have smooth shiny skins and stems still attached. They are best stored unwashed, in a plastic or paper bag in the fridge.
Tzatziki Ingredients
Tzatziki (Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)
2 small cucumbers, skin on, halved and seeded
10 ounces whole or low-fat Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
2 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped dill or mint
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Using a box grater, gate the cucumbers on the largest setting. Drain in a strainer, squeezing out some of the excess moisture.
In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, green onion, dill, salt and pepper. Fold in the cucumbers and mix until integrated. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 12 to let flavors blend. Mix before serving.
Makes 2 cups
Fattoush Style Salad
1 pita round, toasted and torn into ½ inch pieces
4 cups of chopped romaine
2 to 3 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1½ cups cucumbers, seeded and diced
1 cup diced red onion
¾ cup bell pepper, diced
½ cup flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
This salad can be cut any size, as long as it’s consistent
In a large bowl mix together the pita, romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, parsley and mint. Toss with lemon vinaigrette before serving.
Serves 6
Shaved Zucchinin and Squash Salad
2 small zucchinis
2 small squashes
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
¼ cup crumbled feta (optional)
Shave the zucchini and squash into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Place into a bowl with the mint and basil leaves. Gently toss the vegetables with enough lemon vinaigrette to coat them. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to let the vegetables soften. Garnish with the pine nuts and feta before serving.
Serves 4 to 6
Lemon Vinaigrette
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients. Store in refrigerator for up to 10 days. Bring dressing to room temperature and mix well before using.
Makes 1½ cups
Stuffed Garden Squash Blossoms
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces club soda
Vegetable oil for frying
12 zucchini or squash blossoms, stamens removed
6 ounces herbed goat cheese or Boursin cheese
Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. Add the club soda to the flour and stir to combine. Do not overmix. Set aside.
Pour the vegetable oil into a fry pan until it comes up the sides about 2 inches. Heat the oil gently on the stove until it reaches 350 degrees.
In the meantime, gently fill each blossom with 2 teaspoons of cheese and pinch closed the end of the petals. Working in batches, dip both sides of the stuffed blossoms into the batter to fully coat, allowing the excess to drip off. Fry the blossoms, turning once, until golden on both sides, and transfer to paper towel to drain. Serve hot.
Serves 4 to 6
Roasted Summer Squash With Garlic and Herbs
2 small zucchinis
2 small squashes
8 to 10 whole peeled garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup of oregano sprigs
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Halve the squash and zucchini lengthwise, and cut into large, even pieces, and place on a parchment lined sheet tray with the garlic cloves. Coat the vegetables with the olive oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with oregano sprigs, and roast until vegetables start to brown and soften, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the oregano sprigs and drizzle with the lemon juice before serving.
Serves 4 to 6
This story originally appeared in The Detroit News in August 2022.