It’s a boring job, but someone has to do it and I really don’t mind; in fact, I rather look forward to it.

Every year about this time, it happens; I begin hearing from people with too much zucchini, asking for help. As I said, boring, but what we do with the annual surfeit of green Italian squash need not be.

First we’ll take care of zucchini basics. It’s a summer squash, which means low in calories and, too often, also low in flavor. It does, however, provide some Vitamin A, potassium, a little calcium and phosphorous, and a trace of iron. The smaller it is when harvested, the more flavor it has; when zucchini gets out of hand, as it often does, it is bland and watery.

Technically, zucchini’s botanical name is Cucurbita pepo; in Italy, where it’s very popular, it’s zucchino; in France it’s courgette; and native Indians simply called it skutasquash, which means “green thing eaten green.”

(I threw that in because I get a big kick out of a crazy word that simply means “green thing eaten green.”) And in Central and South America, they’ve been eating zucchini for more than a 1000 years, whatever they called it.

Because it’s easy to grow, with satisfying results for even a novice gardener, zucchini became very popular in home gardens in this country about 25 or 30 years ago, and is still a favorite today.

As we all know, that leads, every year, to all the jokes about zucchini being surreptitiously left in cars with open windows, sneaked into mailboxes, and deposited on porches during the night, an occurrence I am personally familiar with.

There was one summer when a monster zucchini made the rounds of porches in our neighborhood for more than a week, until it was finally, mercifully, put out of circulation by its original owner, who buried it deep in his compost pile.

So, if zucchini is so blah and boring, why is it still so popular with home cooks? It’s all about versatility, and that’s where zucchini earns high marks.

Stuff it, bake it, steam it, grill it, stir-fry it, turn it into soup; mix it with onions/tomatoes/garlic/cheese/other vegetables; serve it with lamb, pork, beef, chicken, seafood; put it in pancakes, bread, cakes, cookies and dessert bars; and I’ve probably left out any number of other things you can do with zucchini.

Even those sneaky zukes that lurk under the big, green elephant ear leaves and grow into five-pound whoppers can be transformed, with the help of a grater/food processor, into a very welcome ingredient when you pull it out of your freezer during the dreary, non-zucchini winter months. Have you tried zucchini fruitcake, for example? Chocolate zucchini cake? Zucchini latkes? Zucchini vichysoisse? No?

Well, as I said, versatility is what skutasquash is all about, except it doesn’t have to be just a “green thing eaten green.”

RECIPES

Let’s begin with a quick, easy, healthy zucchini side dish, good with virtually any meat or seafood main course, or great for a vegetarian meal.

ZUCCHINI COUSCOUS

1½ lbs. zucchini

1 T. olive oil

½ t. ground cumin*

½ t. turmeric**

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup boiling water

2/3 cup couscous

Cut zucchini into ¼-inch dice. In a large skillet, cook zucchini in oil with the cumin and turmeric and salt and pepper to taste over med. heat, stirring, until just tender, about 5 min. Add water; bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous and remove the skillet from the heat. Let mixture stand, covered, for 5 min. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve, sprinkled with chopped parsley and/or grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serves 4.

* Because I love the flavor of cumin, I use as much as a teaspoon in this dish. Prepare it to your taste preference.

** Turmeric is one of the spices believed to be high on the heart health, anti-stroke lists so I try to use it as much as possible. It will, however, turn your couscous dish yellow; I don’t mind, but leave it out if you prefer.

So, you’re going to an end of summer outdoor grilling potluck; take along this zucchini/cheese casserole because it serves about 10 and is delicious with almost anything from the grill, especially barbecued chicken.

JACK AND ZUCCHINI

2 lbs. zucchini

4 eggs

½ cup milk

1 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

3 T. flour

¼ cup chopped parsley

1-3 cloves garlic (to your taste), minced or pressed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 can (7 oz.) diced California green chiles

¾ lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)

1 cup seasoned croutons (homemade or purchased)

3 T. melted butter

Slice zucchini crosswise, ¼-inch thick (you should have about 7 cups.) In a

large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and flour until smooth. Stir in parsley, garlic, onion, green chiles, cheese and zucchini. Spoon into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Toss croutons in the melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 min., or until set in the center and zucchini is tender when pierced. Let stand about 10 min. before serving. Serves about 10.

As I noted in the column above, one of zucchini’s major functions in life is to add moisture and texture to baked goods, everything from pancakes to fruitcakes. These Zucchini Walnut Bars are a perfect example of zucchini’s subtle contribution to bakers. They’re a delicious after-school treat, by the way.

ZUCCHINI WALNUT BARS

1½ cups loosely packed coarsely grated zucchini

1½ cups flour

1 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

½ t. ground allspice

½ t. ground nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1¼ t. vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (or black walnuts, if available)

For the frosting: 3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

Lightly spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put grated zucchini onto a double layer of paper towel, roll it up and press lightly to extract excess liquid. Set aside until ready to use.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat together the egg, sugar, oil and vanilla until blended. Beat in the zucchini and then add and beat in the flour mixture. Beat just to incorporate; fold in the nuts. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and bake 30 to 35 min, or until bars test done when a toothpick is inserted and are lightly golden on top. Cool completely on rack.

Prepare frosting: Combine frosting ingredients in a food processor or with electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the top of the cooled bars and refrigerate until set. Makes 20 bars.