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Zucchini A Simple Vegetable To Prepare

Faye Levy Los Angeles Times Service

I think zucchini were created as a gift to busy cooks. Zucchini slices or sticks cook in a flash. In fact, you don’t even have to cook them; they can be eaten raw as sticks with dip, grated into salads or substituted for cucumber in Mediterranean-style chopped salads.

There’s another reason why zucchini are such terrific timesavers: They require almost no preparation before being cooked. Zucchini do not need to be peeled.

Zucchini are very low in calories and are a perfect ingredient for creating health-conscious dishes. Old-fashioned recipes often call for frying or sauteing these summer squashes but they taste very good without the added fat, simply by being boiled in water or braised in broth or tomato sauce.

No matter what cooking method you use, fresh zucchini tastes better. When I pick zucchini from the garden and cook them the same day, their flavor is wonderful. They are best when I harvest them fairly small.

With their delicate taste, zucchini harmonize well with most flavors. They are good with sweet vegetables like corn, bell peppers and carrots, in spicy dishes like curries and in herb-scented dishes like ratatouille. I like them with beans of all types, as their light texture and neutral taste act as a counterpoint to the beans and prevent them from seeming heavy.

Most often, I pair zucchini with pasta. When you’re cooking pasta, it seems natural to add zucchini sticks to the boiling water so you have a vegetable cooking, too.

Besides, zucchini goes well with most pasta sauces. One of my favorite vegetarian entrees is to add zucchini to the Italian classic, spaghetti with garlic and oil. I finish the dish with luscious, garden-ripened tomatoes and sometimes a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese and fresh basil. And this delectable, beautiful main course is ready in only 15 minutes.

Penne with Zucchini and Garlic

Diced ripe tomato, crumbled feta cheese and fresh herbs quickly turn this quick and easy pasta dish into a festive entree.

1 pound small zucchini

4 cups penne or mostaccioli

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 large ripe tomato, diced

Salt, freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Quarter zucchini lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch lengths. Set side.

Cook pasta in large pan of boiling salted water over high heat, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until penne are just tender, al dente. Pour pasta and zucchini into strainer to drain.

Heat oil in pan from cooking pasta. Add garlic and saute over low heat until softened but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add drained pasta mixture, then diced tomato and toss over low heat about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve penne topped with feta cheese and sprinkled with basil.

Yield: 3 to 4 main-course servings.

Latin American Zucchini, Corn and Pepper Stew

This colorful dish is very quick and easy to cook. Green onions and garlic are the main flavorings; if you would like a hot vegetable stew, add 1 or 2 chopped jalapeno peppers along with the vegetables.

1-1/2 pounds zucchini (4 medium)

2 tablespoons oil

1 green pepper, cut into -inch dice

1 sweet red pepper, cut into -inch dice

2 cups frozen corn kernels (or kernels cut from 3 ears of corn)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 green onions, chopped

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Pure chile powder or cayenne pepper

Quarter zucchini lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add green and red peppers and saute 5 minutes.

Add zucchini, corn and garlic and mix well. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until zucchini are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in green onions. Season to taste with salt, pepper and chile powder. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 to 5 side-dish servings.