zucchine a modo mio

zucchini my way
In Italian, both zucchino (plural: zucchini) and zucchina (plural: zucchine) are used. I grew up calling this (now) beloved vegetable zucchine. Last spring I planted a few seedlings and during the summer I harvested some fruit, which was particularly satisfying. Zucchine are quite versatile: whether cooked simply or as part of a complex dish, they always shine.

My favorite way of preparing zucchine when I do not have a lot of time is the following. I spray a frying pan with olive oil, warm it up and add 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. After a couple of minutes I add a pound and a half of zucchine, sliced, sprinkle some freshly-ground black pepper, and mix well. I then cook over low heat until the zucchine are tender. After turning off the heat, I add a quarter cup of chopped fresh prezzemolo (parsley), a tablespoon of minced fresh maggiorana (marjoram, shown in the photo) and a pinch of salt, mix well and serve as a side dish. Marjoram, which has become one of my favorite herbs, gives a distinctive note to this simple recipe. Its fragrance is sensitive to heat and that is why I add it at the very end. If I have leftovers, a rare event, I use them as base for a frittata.

I knew that in Sicily zucchine could be big, but I was not quite prepared for what I saw the other day at the market in Palermo: specimens of the zucchina lunga (photo on the left) can be two or three feet long. I really wish I had access to a kitchen where I could try my favorite recipe on this Brobdingnagian representative of the vegetable kingdom.
The tender leaves of the zucchina lunga, called tenerumi, are also used as an ingredient in Sicilian dishes.

And let us not forget that fiori di zucca (zucchini blossoms) are also delicious, an additional virtue of zucchine, if we needed one.

This is my on-the-road entry for the two-year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging, the famous weekly event started by magic Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. The festivities include an exciting name your favorite herb and vegetable election. Make sure you check the roundup: expect amazing food fireworks from around the world.

Hear me pronounce the words on the zucchine a modo mio audio file [mp3] or go to the zucchine a modo mio audio page for more listening options.

Comments

[Lisa]

Those zucchine are amazing! I'd love to try them. And your recipe sounds delicious. I must try cooking with marjoram; that's one herb I almost never have used -- don't know why not.

[Kalyn]

Great entry! I'd love to try those long zucchini or the zucchini leaves. I have marjoram in my garden but didn't realize it went well with zucchini.

[Katie]

The zucchini that I see in the markets tend to be long and skinny, totally unlike the ones I planted in my garden - from seeds I bought locally....
What a lovely, simple recipe - love all the marjoram.

[Jann]

What a great veggie this is...and you are correct about saving the flower-oh, stuffed with some cheese and herbs or just fried ,coated in a well seasoned batter-what a wonderful meal! See you in Cortona next week.....

[Simona]

Hi Lisa: I planted marjoram and fell in love with it, so now I try it with different vegetables.

Hi Kalyn: I tried the pasta with tenerumi during my preious visit to Palermo and it was good.

Hi Katie: I planted three kinds of zucchini in my garden and they are all different. The variations within the zucchini realm is quite wide.

Indeed, Jann, a wonderful meal. See you there!

[Kevin]

I've never seen a long zucchini like that - I learned something today!

[Jeni]

Your zucchine recipe sounds simply fabulous. Those Sicilian zucchine are wild looking!

[Alex]

Tutto bene? Ti leggo regolarmente e spero ti stia godendo il soggiorno. Mai viste quelle zucchine larghe!! Un abbraccio

[Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes]

Hi Simona - I, too, enjoy zucchini. I like to cut it in long slices and cook it under the broiler with olive oil. I will try it with marjoram for a change from thyme. Thanks for the idea! Great post.

[the chocolate lady]

Here in New York, I have heard those big squash called gooGOOts, so I imagine in standard Italian they would be Cuccuzza, or cuccuzzo, or cuccuzze.

[Paz]

I love this zucchine recipe your way!

Paz

[Simona]

Hi Kevin: I have seen this kind of zucchini only in Sicily.

Indeed, Jeni, they are wild.

Ciao Alex, tutto bene. Sono appena tornata negli USA e sono in arretrato su tutti i fronti.

You are welcome, Lori Lynn: I hope you will like marjoram.

Hi Eve. Cocuzza or cucuzza is a popular name for squash, close to the Latin cucurbita. In the Sicilian cookbook I got, the zucchini in the photo is called cucuzzeda. Cocuzza or cucuzza are also used to refer to the head.

Hi Paz: thanks!

[Kevin]

This sounds like a simple and tasty way to cook zuchini.

[Simona]

Hi Kevin, it is. Too bad we are now going towards a zucchini-less season.

[Frank]

Hello, my Dad is an old school Sicilian and every summer he made this oustandind dish, Pasta con Tenerumi, the leaves of the zucchini. It had a tasty broth with tomatos and garlic, but I have never been able to dupilcate it, because I was never handed down the recipe. Would anyone have a recipe to share with me?

[Simona]

Hi Frank and thanks for visiting. Let me know if you ever make the recipe I sent you. I remember having pasta with tenerumi the first time I visited Sicily: what a treat it was!