Are These Zucchini Multiplying While I’m Not Watching?

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zucchiniI love zucchini. Really. But this is the time of year when zucchini seems less like a vegetable and more like a species of highly reproductive rodent. Every time I think I have a handle on our zucchini supply, the CSA bombs me with another shipment. Last week, a stranger physically dragged Jason into a church up the street so she could foist a bag of zucchini upon him.

And I know I’m not alone. I know this because when I was in Ohio recently, my mom, while feeding us zucchini bread for breakfast, suggested that perhaps we’d like some nice stuffed zucchini for lunch. Or maybe we had a little extra zucchini room in our suitcases? When I asked her what was up, she sighed and said, “I keep telling your father to pick them when they’re smaller.” Enter Farmer Dwight, right on cue, carrying a zucchini the size of a surface-to-air missile and grinning mischievously.

So I’m going to share one of my go-to zucchini recipes. It’s adapted from one I found years ago in one of the Moosewood cookbooks. (One of these days, I will pay proper homage to Mollie Katzen and all things Moosewood, but right now I have to keep an eye on my zucchini, lest they try to mate again.) It’s delicious, a little unusual and good for using up zucchini. Who could ask for more?

Zucchini Ankara

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained
  • ½ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
  • Feta cheese (lots)

In a large pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add the zucchini and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Keep it over low heat and do not overcook! Nothing is worse than slimy overcooked zucchini. When the zucchini is just tender, add the chickpeas and olives. Season it up the way you like with the juice from the lemon, the cumin and the chili powder. Serve on a bed of rice or couscous and top with crumbled feta cheese.