Related to the pumpkin family, there are various types of zucchini: dark green, light green, round, elongated, and with or without the blossoms. Their season is summer even if you can find them on supermarket shelves all year round. But which zucchini should you choose when you’re at the market? Well, the answer depends on what you intend to cook.
Which zucchini is best?
The best way to cook the small, round zucchini is to stuff them. Their shape, reminiscent of an egg, seems to be made especially for being stuffed. It just depends on personal preference or the imagination of the chef on duty when it comes to the filling. If you’d rather go for the light option, make zucchini all’ortolana. For a second course that’s a little more substantial, but still healthy, here’s a recipe for zucchini stuffed with meat or crescenza cheese.
Long and green – sautéed with (or without) sauce
The long, green variety of zucchini are richer in moisture, so they are juicier when cooked. For this reason, use them as a filling for a recipe like the zucchini pie with pine nuts and raisin! For the same reason, this variety also works great as a base for sauces, sautéed in a pan or julienned and fried. For a pasta sauce, we suggest pasta alla chitarra with zucchini.
Baby zucchini – cooked or raw
Baby zucchini, with their flowers, beyond just being spectacular to look at, are particularly tender and sweet. To preserve and enhance their taste, it’s best to use them raw in a pinzimonio salad with mini zucchini and cucumbers. Or you could make a fresh and quick pasta, such as fusilli with raw zucchini and herbs. Don’t forget the pumpkin flowers!
Yellow zucchini – ideal for risottos and vellutata
Very common in Friuli and Veneto, yellow zucchini differ from green zucchini, not only for the color of the skin but also for the taste – so sweet that in some cases, it’s almost reminiscent of pumpkin. This variety is mainly used to make risottos, but it’s also suitable for other uses in the kitchen. But the best way to enhance the quality of yellow zucchini is to make an Italian vellutata soup. To prepare it, you’ll need six yellow zucchini, a carrot, a shallot, half a stalk of celery, water, oil, salt, pepper and pumpkin seeds. Start by sautéeing the shallot, carrot and celery. Then sauté the zucchini (cut into pieces) and cover with cold water. Leave everything to cook over medium heat for half an hour. Once cooled, blend with an electric immersion blender. Serve the vellutata hot with a sprinkling of pepper and pumpkin seeds.
Browse the photo gallery for more zucchini recipes!