How many zucchinis can four plants produce? I’ve lost count, almost too many if ours are anything to go by.

Hence I’ve been going through my recipes for ways to use them.

Of course there’s pickled zucchini slices, always delicious as is zucchini relish.

There’s zucchini, corn and Parmesan soup, a zucchini date and raisin cake with a coconut caramel glaze, fritters and more.

I did try making jam with them as I was told you could substitute zucchini for melon in melon and lemon jam. Forget that one, it ended up as a syrup with tough little pieces of zucchini floating in it. I’m still trying to work out a use for it. I guess you can’t win them all.

On a happier note, crumbed zucchini slices turned out to be a great success, a firm favourite, very much like crumbed eggplant.

I coarsely grate, squeeze out excess liquid and freeze – excellent for zucchini slice, fritattas, quiches, risotto, pilaf and more,

Anyway, here are some recipes that you might find useful if you find yourself overrun with zucchinis as I am at the moment.

Pickled Zucchini Slices

1kg zucchini, weight with any seeds and pithy core removed

2 large onions, peeled

2 red capsicums

½ cup salt

3 ½ cups white or cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Method

Cut the vegetables into 8mm slices.  Place in a large bowl with the salt and barely cover with water and stir to combine.  Leave to stand for a few hours.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to the boil, stirring often.

Drain the vegetables in a colander and add to the boiling vinegar mixture.  Bring back to the boil, then remove from heat.

Spoon into sterilised jars and seal immediately

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Zucchini Relish

1kg zucchini, finely diced

2 large onions, peeled and finely diced

1 red capsicum, finely diced

¼ cup salt

2 cups sugar

2 cups white or cider vinegar

2 teaspoons mustard powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons maize cornflour

2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar

Place the zucchini, onions and capsicum in a bowl, add salt and mix well.  Leave to stand for about three hours.  Drain well.

Combine sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, turmeric and vegetables in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Add vegetables and bring back to boil and cook for 25 minutes.

If the mixture is too thin, mix cornflour to a paste with extra vinegar and stir through.  Cook two or three minutes more.

Spoon into warm sterilised bottles and seal immediately.  Eat immediately or can be stored in a cool, dry and dark place for up to a year.

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Zucchini, Corn and Parmesan Soup

Serves 4 to 6

1.5kg zucchini  (if the zucchinis are large, peel and remove seedy core before weighing) cut into 1.25cm pieces – weight specified is for prepared zucchini flesh

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable stock powder

1 handful of fresh basil leaves or ½ teaspoon dried

1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock

400g tin creamed corn

½ teaspoon salt, optional

100g freshly grated Parmesan

100g grated cheddar cheese, optional

300ml sour cream (or cream or milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

3 teaspoons sweet chili sauce

Method

Dice the prepared zucchini flesh.

Heat oil and butter and gently sauté the zucchini, onion, garlic, salt and basil. Cook gently till zucchini is soft.

Add the stock, corn and salt and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the Parmesan, cheese (if using), sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Puree the mixture, then stir in the Parmesan and cheddar cheese, if using.

Stir in the sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each serve with chopped parsley.

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Zucchini Fritters

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup self raising flour

½ cup grated Parmesan

1 onion, grated

330g coarsely grated zucchini

Squeeze lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Mix all ingredients together well and then shallow fry small tablespoonfuls over medium heat until golden on each side.  Drain on paper towel.  Serve very hot.

Serves 4

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Crumbed Zucchini

Zucchini

Salt

Eggs, whisked lightly

Plain flour

Breadcrumbs (fresh or dried)

Method

Peel zucchini if skin is tough and remove any pithy flesh and seeds.

Cut zucchini lengthways into 8mm thick slices.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt and mix through.

Leave to stand 30 minutes or more.  Drain and rinse, pat dry.

Dip first in flour, then in egg, then breadcrumbs.  Shallow fry over medium heat in olive or other oil until browned on one side then turn and cook on the other to the same point.

Serve sprinkled with lemon juice or with tzatziki as an accompaniment.

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Zucchini, Raisin and Date Cake with Coconut Caramel Glaze

1 cup raisins

½ cup chopped dates

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup coarsely grated zucchini

2 tablespoons butter or oil

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 tablespoon marmalades

3 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

2 eggs, lightly whisked

2 cups self raising flour

Method

Heat oven to 170 °C.  Grease a  slab tin 4cm deep 18cm x 28cm slab tin (approximately).

Place in a medium to large saucepan the raisins, dates, water, sugar, grated zucchini, butter or oil, bicarbonate of soda, marmalade and lemon or lime juice. 

Bring to the boil and then immediately remove from heat, and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Add eggs and self raising flour and mix well.

Pour into the prepared tin and level out with a spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a metal spatula inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven, allow to stand for a few minutes, then poke holes in the cake at 8mm intervals with a fork and drizzle the glaze over – then use a pastry brush to distribute evenly over the the cake.

For the glaze

200g brown sugar                       

150 ml coconut milk                              

1 teaspoon vanilla  extract                          

2 tablespoons butter

Combine sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Leave to cool 5 minutes before drizzling over the cake.