If you don't have a garden, you should be able to find zucchini plentiful at any farmer's market.
From my old friend, Maria Gentile from her timeless recipes, The Italian Cook Book, The Art of Eating Well, here are some zucchini options.
Ripe and Ready Zucchini from Pizza Therapy
STUFFED ITALIAN SQUASH
(Zucchini ripieni)
To make the stuffed zucchini first cut them lengthwise in two halves and
remove the interior pulp, leaving space enough for the filling.
Take some lean veal (quantity in proportion to the squashes) cut it into
pieces and place it on the fire in a saucepan with a hash of onion,
parsley, celery, carrot, a little corned beef cut in little pieces, a
little oil, salt and pepper. Stir it often with a spoon and when the
meat is brown pour in a cup of water and then another after a while.
Then rub the gravy through a sieve and put it aside.
Chop the cooked meat fine and grind it in the grinder and make a hash of
it and one egg, a little grated cheese, a crumb of bread boiled in milk
or in soup stock and just a taste of nutmeg. Put this hash inside each
half squash and put them to brown in butter, completing the cooking with
the gravy set aside.
STRING BEANS AND SQUASHES SAUTÉ
(Fagiolini e zucchini sauté)
Brown in butter some string beans, that have been previously half cooked
in water and some raw squashes cut in cubes. Put the squashes in only
when the butter is beginning to brown. Season moderately with salt and
butter and add some brown stock or good tomato sauce.
FYI: The Italian Cook Book, The Art of Eating Well will be released by Grande Publishing, in the near future.
Enjoy,
Albert Grande,
Italian in Training and
The Pizza Promoter
P.S. Here are some other resources you may enjoy:
