Рецепт Zucchini - freezing and using; Winter Zucchini Gratin
Time to make Courgette (Zucchini) Soup!
Too hot, you say?
Not in the mood for soup?
Allow me to explain.
Anyone who has a garden and has planted zucchini knows that after one has picked the first few lovely vegetables the plant immediately goes into over-drive and starts to produce enough to feed a large, hungry army.
Last year I posted tips on freezing the extra to use throughout the winter.... A bit of summer in the cold, as it were.
But I didn't really give any ideas on what to use it for.... Other than Courgette Soup.
First, let me recap how very easy it is to freeze:
Cut it up and put it in a saucepan with an 2 inches of water and a stock cube (I'm talking really easy, here)
Slowly bring it to a boil, covered. When it's seriously cooking, turn it off and let it sit, covered for 30 minutes.
Ladle it into containers, cool and freeze.
If you are particularly ambitious you could pop it in the blender first.
I'm doing about half each way.
As you can see I mixed the yellow and the green in this batch. Sometimes I do, sometimes I keep them seperate and end up with either very yellow or rather green.
Some I will use to make this simple Courgette and Leek Soup
My favorite new way to use it is as a thickener for other soups....
I stirred 3 cups of the puréed zucchini into this White Chili:
I also added it to Chicken Noodle Soup, Turkey Vegetable Soup and Tuna Chowder. Mon mari likes substance to his soups - he's not a 'broth' person. The puréed zucchini thickens it just the right amount. And it's a great way of sneaking in more vegetables.
The other way I freeze it is to simply shred it, put it into freezer bags and freeze.
I thaw it and add to stir-fries, stews and.... soups.
- Or I make this simple Zucchini Gratin:
- Winter Zucchini (Courgette) Gratin
- 16oz (500gr) frozen, shredded zucchini (courgette)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tsp olive oil
Thaw zucchini in a strainer. It will give off a lot of water. Squeeze out excess moisture. In medium bowl beat eggs well. Add yogurt, Parmesan and nutmeg. Mix well. Add zucchini and mix well. Lightly oil a small baking dish. (I use a 7 inch square glass baking dish). Spoon zucchini into the dish and bake at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes or until set. Remove and serve directly from baking dish.
So....
When you are up to your ears with zucchini either get out your shredder or make soup! It's a shame to waste all of the summer bounty!