Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Have you tried it grilled? I find that almost everything tastes better grilled. I slice lengthwise into about 1" slices, toss w/ some olive oil, S&P, and perhaps crushed garlic and then onto the grill for a few minutes per side.

I also use any leftovers diced and combined w/ grilled corn (cut off the cob) for a summer veggie salad/side dish.

Try a zucchini cake, like a potato cake, but crisper.

I like it in Carrot and Zucchini A Scapece--lightly fried in a little oil (I add mushrooms and at the end, quartered tomato) and then tossed with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and then either basil and mint or thyme and chives with parsley. Eat warm or room temp.

Grilled is awesome too, as said above.

The zucchini I had in childhood was the frozen box variety and was awful. Stringy, overcooked, tasteless. Years later, at a favorite San Francisco restaurant, I had a very simple version which i still make 25 years later. I grate the squash on the large hole of the grater, and saute it in butter or a mix of butter and oil. Sometimes I add a little onion first, and usually I add fresh thyme as I think it's a great herb and it goes awfully well with summer squash. Sometimes I'll wrap the shreds in a paper towel first if i think it's too wet, but i've made this very simple dish at least 100 times and it's still my favorite and my partner's favorite as well.
I too have sliced it and brushed it with oil and broiled/grilled it. Zucchini is not the most flavorful of vegetables, so adding herbs or something like a squirt of lemon helps it along. Just don't overcook it, use the smallest ones you can find and they really will have some flavor and won't be stringy. It's a good vegetable if you can get past your early understandable dislike. There's little worse than slimy when it comes to cooking veggies - no wonder you hesitate!

You can also grate or dice it, let it drain a bit, then pop into quart-sized freezer bags to add to soups or stews this winter.

My guys here like zuke cakes- grated, wrung out in a clean towel, add some flour and seasonings, then pan fry in butter & olive oil (I like both together) til crisp & golden. Let drain a bit on a paper-towel lined plate, then dig in. Google recipes for various seasonings, but really, they're wonderful.

I never liked zucchini until my parents had a big crop in their garden one year. We were eating zucchini everything. My favorite thing to do is saute zucchini (lightly - so it's still firm. I can't stand mushy veggies!) with onions, bell peppers and garlic and have it with rice. The aroma of onions and peppers cooking will make you forget you disliked zucchini. I also like zucchini chocolate cake. I made it and brought it to work, and my co-workers liked it too. I also tried something new -- I grated zucchini like cheese and threw it in my pan enchiladas with strips of corn tortillas, chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce. I also like it sauteed with onions and mixed in with scrambled eggs and cheese. There are a variety of ways to at least semi-disguise the zucchini -- I don't eat it by itself!

Oh yeah -- one more thing!!! Battered and fried zucchini is sooo good. I can't get it right, but my mom does it well. Flour, egg, milk, salt, pepper and whatever seasoning you like makes the batter. Slice the zucchini thinly, dip it in batter, cook it in olive oil until the batter is crispy. Yum.

I have a similar relationship with zucchini. My mom's 70's creation included zucchini, pattypan squash, tomatoes and rice and can only be described as a squishy, watery food melee. No one else would touch it but it made Mom happy, so it's not so bad to think about now. The longterm result for me was an aversion to zucchini (and summer squashes in general) that I've gallantly tried to overcome and yet failed. I save zucchini recipes with the thought that I will someday come across the one that makes my tastebuds sing.

I always thought zucchini was OK but then I tried Smitten Kitchen's recipe called "My Favorite Side Dish." Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, sautee some blanched or chopped almonds in the oil. Then add zucchini cut either in coins or matchsticks and cook just until warm. Truly delicious!

i learned to like zucchini from a jamie oliver recipe -- his courgette salad with mint, garlic, red chilli, lemon and extra virgin olive oil is delicious:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/salad/courgette-salad-with-mint-garlic-red-chi

and i simplify it sometimes by just throwing thin rounds of zucchini into a wok with garlic, chili, and lemon until they are just browned.

I have been throwing it into whatever I have been cooking lately.

It's quite good in soup. I chop all my veggies (onions, carrots, potatoes, summer squash), sautee the onions in olive onion, add the rest of the vegetables, add chicken broth, whatever spices I have on hand (curry powder, chili powder). Boil until all the vegetables are very soft, blend it in batches in the blender. Makes for an easy, but tasty low calorie creamy soup. I didn't even bother to peel the carrots, onions and squash.

I also toss it in the curry I had yesterday.

Zucchini pancakes are my favorite, too! I usually use flour and mild cheddar, with a bit of lemon zest if I've got it - salt and lots of black pepper - amazing as a substitute for eggplant parmigiana on top of pasta with tomato sauce and Parmigiano. You don't squeeze the zucchini in my recipe, so the insides are nice and creamy. I just had them last night but now I want them again!

Another thing that makes zucchini WAY more tolerable in e.g. a stir-fry context is seeding it. I learned this from Cook's Illustrated years ago, and it makes all the difference. Halve the zucchini, then scoop the seeds out with a small spoon before chopping or otherwise preparing for a recipe. It really eliminates much of the slime factor, because the seedy middle bit is what turns to mush. If you're careful not to overcook it, you should experience no slime at all with this method!

I never liked zucchini until my boyfriend had me try this version!

We cut them lengthwise into 1/4ths, then marinate them for 3-4 days, yes days, in Italian dressing. We like to use the dressing mix from Good Seasonings.

We like letting them sit for a few days because the vinegar has a chance to slightly pickle the zucchini.

Then we toss them on the George Forman until all corners are a nice brown. Those corners almost become caramelized and sweet and contrast well with the "pickled'. I like to toss them back in some dressing right after they are grilled too. I love the dressing :)

do this with it,
http://suburbangourmet.blogspot.com/2007/07/stuffed-zucchini-with-beef-and-rice.html

Middle eastern dish, not supposed to be sliced like that (my grandmother flipped when she saw that I sliced it)

I'm not sure if someone else suggested this since I was too lazy to read all of the comments (sorry), but I love sauteeing sliced zucchini with lemon juice, olive oil, the omnipresent S&P, and pine nuts or sesame seeds. Sautee the zucchini 'til it gets a little brown or black on the pan-side to get a nice caramelized nutty flavor. Nom nom nom.

You know how Bubba Gump goes on and on about shrimp? Well, I kinda have that same affinity for zucchini.

Delicious brushed with olive oil, s& p, then grilled on low heat. Don't let it burn, but get some grill marks. If the zucchini is small (about 6 inches long and about two fingers thick) I just wash, slice down the middle. If it's one of those monsters the size of a small child, then I slice on the diagonal slightly less than half inch thick for grilling.

Tempura-style or a Fritto Misto, with zucchini, sweet onion rings, mushrooms, sliced sweet potato. Fried anything is delicious.

Speaking of fried, at Brio's (probably at Bravo's, too) they have zucchini fries. Zucchini stips breaded and fried, topped with shredded parm and served with marinara. If you don't feel like cooking, go try those. Fried anything is delicious. Did I already say that?

Ratatouille--the version I make is chunky, but I love the elegant looking, thin sliced and arranged in a spiral version that I've seen on some food blogs lately.

Eric Ripart did a super easy zucchini dish recently on his blog. Sliced thin, arrange in a single layer on a baking tray brushed with olive oil or butter, salt, broil, turn, broil, plate, sprinkle with finely grated parmesan.

Asian style--sliced into rounds or half moons, about 1/4 inch thick. On medium, heat a wok or large skillet with a neutral oil. Add minced garlic, sautee briefly, add the zucchini, salt, sautee until the zucchini is nearly done, turning gently during cooking so as not to break up the zucchini too much, then drizzle a little toasted sesame seed oil and a handful of thinly sliced scallion, sautee a minute or two more, then transfer to a shallow serving bowl and garnish with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and a few thin slivers of scallions.

I really love zucchini, especially prepared simply like grilling or broiling or sauteeing, with little other than salt as seasoning.

Slow-cooked courgettes on toast

I often cook courgettes like this - they lose most of their moisture and become a thick, fragrant, chunky mass. They can be used as a pasta sauce (just add a little cream) or the base for a lovely soup (just whizz up with a little stock and/or milk). But they also make a great toast topping - which of course the Italians would call bruschetta. Serves six as a light lunch.

3 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1kg courgettes, finely sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the toast/bruschetta

6 slices of coarse country bread

1 garlic clove, cut in half

Extra-virgin olive oil, or butter

Parmesan, or other grateable cheese (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the garlic, courgettes and a little salt. Cook gently, so the courgettes soften without browning. As they release their water, turn up the heat to bubble it off. When they become more concentrated and pulpy, turn it down again. Stir whenever they begin to catch on the pan, and do not allow them to brown more than a shade. Keep cooking until they are rich and oily, but not watery. Check seasoning.

Grill the bread, rub each side with garlic, and trickle with olive oil or melted butter. Pile a mound of the hot courgette mixture on top, grate over a little cheese, if you like, and serve.

Wow, that's a ton of great ideas! Thanks so much, everyone. I plan to grab some at the market this weekend and see what I can make of it.

I'm going to fifth or sixth the grilling. We have been eating grilled zucchini 3 days a week since the zucchini crop started, and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. I'd suggest thick slicing, just cause it doesn't get mushy. And don't grill it too long.

When your grandma plants two zucchini plants for a household of 3, you learn to like zucchini.

Zucchini isn't supposed to be slimy at all! We usually just season and grill ours. And actually, I had some raw zucchini the other day with hummus and it was more delicious than I thought it would be!

Hillary
Chew on That

What turned the husband to squashy ways was zucchini sliced and sauteed with bacon and garlic as a topping for penne pasta, with generous quantities of parmesan cheese.

He protested when I bought them this year but then enjoyed them when they were grilled with olive oil and S&P a generous sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

I need to try those zucchini pancakes next though, those sound fantastic...

although this hasn't cured on every zucchini aversion, I've had great success simply by salting the cut zucchini and letting it sit to weep for maybe a half hour like eggplant, and then patting (or wringing if grated) dry. This makes for for a much sweeter-tasting vegetable.

My list of Unsuitable Things includes oversize, undercooked zucchini chunks in vegetarian sandwiches. Yecch.

Hope you don't get an old, bitter zucchini. Blech!