Zucchinis, glorious zucchinis

The other day I posed what I thought was a pretty innocent question on social media: “What’s your favourite zucchini recipe?”

I should’ve known better. Turns out zucchinis are a hilariously loaded topic in early August. As someone with a casual relationship with the ubiquitous summer squash — I’ve never grown it and am currently receiving a perfectly reasonable amount of courgettes with my weekly CSA subscription — I’m still enjoying the veg. Others, not so much.

I did get some genuine recipe suggestions: grilled with olive oil and a bit of Montréal Steak Spice, lasagna, taco filling, ratatouille, zucchini bread. But I also got some less enthused responses from folks planning to offload their substantial harvest to friends, family and food banks. My favourite method of preparation came from a farming family member: “Slice it up. A little salt, pepper and garlic. Throw it directly to the pigs.”

One person aptly described zucchinis as a “garden bully.” From what I gather, they grow quickly, have a long growing season and a single plant can produce between three and nine pounds of fruit. They’re also cyclical, meaning the more you harvest, the more the vine will produce.

The vegetable’s bountiful reputation has actually inspired a national holiday. “Sneak Some Zucchini onto your Neighbour’s Porch Day” is celebrated on Aug. 8 and was purportedly started by an American gardener and actor named Thomas Roy, who seemingly invented more than 80 equally quirky fake holidays. If you recently found some abandoned squash on your stoop, you know who to blame.

My kitchen forays during zucchini season have included everything from curries to spiralized zucchini salads to shish kebabs to roasted side dishes. Not to toot my own horn, but I really knocked it out of the park with a pasta I threw together with fried zucchini, Swiss chard, garlic and crispy smashed white beans. As with most of my culinary experiments, I wasn’t following a particular recipe and I didn’t write a single thing down, but the dish was inspired by this recipe.

Another recent success story was a zucchini pesto pizza I threw together with a ball of De Luca’s pre-made dough (which freezes really well and is nice to have on-hand for an impromptu pizza party). I topped said ‘za with feta cheese and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It was *chef’s kiss* delicious.

Whether you’re pro zukes or over them entirely right now, it’s a real treat to be able to eat seasonally. This is my second year signing up for a vegetable share from a local farm (Jonathan’s Farm, to be exact) and aside from being able to cut down on trips to the grocery store, it’s helped me slow down and tune into the whirlwind of Winnipeg’s warmest seasons. Late spring lettuce and tender greens fill me with anticipation about what’s to come while sun-ripened tomatoes remind me to pause and soak up the heat and carefree fun of summer. Root vegetables offer a comforting descent into fall and a more familiar routine — but we don’t have to talk about that just yet.

Since I haven’t learned my lesson and am genuinely curious about what others are doing with their glut of zukes, I have to ask: What’s your favourite zucchini recipe? Or better yet, what’s your favourite seasonal vegetable? Send me a message in response.

Eva Wasney, Reporter

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Three Savour Manitoba magazine covers promoting a food, drink, and lifestyle publication.

Tasty tidbits

The folks behind King + Bannatyne are expanding beyond their namesake corner in the Exchange District and into St. Boniface. On social media, they announced plans to open two new eatery concepts under the Burnley Place Hospitality umbrella at 300 Tache Ave., the former home of Blackbird Brasserie. Nola is a new concept from former Deer + Almond chef Emily Butcher and will, according to the website, celebrate “the Pacific Northwest upbringing of Chef Butcher through shared plates.” Second Spot, meanwhile, will be located around the corner and will replicate the menu of King + Bannatyne.

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Rob Stansel, the brains behind local beer blog Middle Tap, wants hop-heads to pop by the Beer Can at the Granite on Saturday, Aug. 28 starting at 3 p.m. to try some new brews he helped make. Stansel teamed up with local brewers at Barn Hammer, Sookrams and Devil May Care to create three different brews to be featured at the event, dubbed Hopped!. A $15 “hop passport” gets you an eight-ounce pour of each of the beers, and the event will also feature exclusive brews from Good Neighbour, Torque, Oxus, Kilter and Vessel. For more check out the Middle Tap website.

Recommended fare

Ben: I’ve been working like mad this week, and as a result ran out of time to make dinner the other night. A quick call to the nearby Underdogs and I soon had their delicious Larry Bird chicken burger in hand — it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I recently re-visited a wine that was once a go-to for me, the Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2018 Shiraz Cabernet, a red blend from Australia. It’s a tasty, fruit-driven red with big dark cherry and cassis flavours, a subtle eucalyptus note and very soft tannins. An ideal backyard barbecue red and, at $19.99, a solid value.

Like Eva, I’ve also been up to my eyeballs in zucchini thanks to our weekly Wild Earth CSA package; just last night we made penne in a cream sauce with sauteed zucchini and spinach, and I’m not sick of the zukes… yet. The issue over here is that my partner has an onion intolerance, so every week I get two or three beautiful looking onions that I just have to… give away. Oh, the humanity.

Eva: We’re in the midst of Winnipeg’s first-ever Taco Week (it wraps up on Monday, pardon the pun) and while I haven’t tried any of the specialty tacos on offer from the more than 45 participating local restaurants, I think BMC Market deserves a shout-out as one of my favourite year-round taco joints. The South Osborne taqueria and Mexican grocery store is owned by Beatriz Marivel Calderón-Villaseñor, who I profiled last year. Her tortillas are made fresh to order and menu items start at 3 tacos for a verrrry affordable $5. I’m a fan of the barbacoa pastor and chorizo versions.

I recently picked up a bottle of 1882 Fruit Based Hot Sauce and have been experimenting with it on eggs and savoury crepes — according to proprietor Patrick Michalishyn, the sauce is also great on ice cream. The raspberry scotch bonnet variety is certainly fruit-forward and not so spicy that the flavour gets lost in the heat. Bottles are $7 each and available at most local farmers’ markets.

What’s simmering

Ben and Eva just finished a big, sprawling piece on South Osborne: its past, present and future, particularly as it pertains to food and drink. Watch for it in Saturday’s Free Press arts & life section.

From left, Matthew Edmond, sous chef, Kurt Kolbe, head chef, and Erik Thordarson, owner of Tabula Rasa, a new restaurant on Osborne. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press)

Park Alleys, which is reopening with a restaurant, pub, and music venue, in South Osborne. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Recipes and reviews

Tasty bison tenderloin: Chef Mark McEwan offers tips and tricks for cooking bison, a quintessential prairie protein. Follow this link to find his recipe for five-spice bison tenderloin with spiced apples and mashed potatoes fit for a Sunday dinner.

“This dish really sings because of the bison,” writes Chef Mark McEwan. “It’s flavourful, low in fat and amazingly tender.”

Iced drink with lime on a wooden surface beside the Savour Manitoba magazine cover.