What to do with all that zucchini?

CLEVELAND - There they sit -- on the conference table at work, on your kitchen counter, maybe someone dropped one off in your mailbox.  A gigantic zucchini. It's the time of year when zucchinis multiply like, well, zucchinis.

We went to Dante Ristorante in Tremont for some creative approaches to using up all of that squash.

One of the best ways to take advantage of an abundant harvest of zucchini is to shred it, skin and all, and freeze it in Ziploc bags to use all winter long. Dante Boccuzzi adds shredded zucchini to simple pasta and risotto dishes right before plating them, leaving the thin pieces of zucchini fresh and tender crisp. Enjoy his recipes:

Spaghetti Pasta and Zucchini
Ingredients:

• 1lb. spaghetti
• 5 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 scallion sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• parmesan cheese

Method: In a large sauce pot, lightly brown the garlic in the olive oil. Add the scallions. In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until firm to the bite. Strain the pasta and place it directly into the first pot. Grate the zucchini directly into the pasta. Add the cheese and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Servings: 4 people

Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:

• 3 medium size zucchini ( ball shape )
• 1 egg
• 6T grated parmesan cheese
• bread crumbs
• 1 small onion minced
• Olive oil.
• Water
•  

Method: Cut the top off the zucchini, making a lid. Hollow out the center of the squash.
Finely chop all the innards of the zucchini. In a small pot slowly cook all the minced onions until tender. Add the zucchini innards and cook until tender.
Place the zucchini in a bowl and add the cheese. Let the mixture cool. Mix in the egg and season with salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini to the top. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Place the zucchini with their lids in a casserole dish.
Put ½” of water in the bottom of the casserole dish. Bake the zucchini at 350â�°
for 20 minutes, making sure the inside is cooked and the outside is tender.

Zucchini Latkes
Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 egg
• 2 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 T all purpose flour
• Salt/ pepper
• Olive oil to pan fry
• ½ cup Goat cheese
• 2 T heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• Cracked pepper to taste

Method: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl combine the goat cheese, cream, and seasoning. Heat a nonstick sauté pan. Place piles of zucchini batter forming pancakes. Brown each side of the latke. Serve immediately. Top the latke with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, or goat cheese mousse.

Zucchini Risotto
Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 8 oz. Arborio rice
• 2 c. white wine
• 1 ½ qts. hot chicken stock
• ½ cup grated zucchini
• 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method: Sweat onions in the butter over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add rice and sweat together for 3 minutes. Add white wine and reduce until dry. Then start adding chicken stock, 1 cup at a time. Stir. Continue to add stock until rice is cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with parmesan cheese, and butter. Finish the risotto by adding the grated zuchinni.

Servings: 4 people