Year-Round Produce Availability: A Modern Agricultural Advantage
One of the advantages of living in our modern age is the fact that due to advancements in agriculture, including greenhouse cultivation and international trade, fruits and vegetables are often available all year long.
The star of our recipe today – and one most anybody can make because of the times in which we live regardless of where that might be – is zucchini, also known as courgette.
Zucchini (Latin botanical name: cucurbita pepo) is typically in season during the summer months, specifically from June to August in the Northern Hemisphere. However in regions with milder climates, such as Greece, these delicious, elongated, smooth skinned, mild-flavored summer squashes can be grown and harvested year-round.
Farmer’s Market or Supermarket?
While cooking with in-season fruits and vegetables often offers the freshest and most flavorful options, there can still be exceptions where non-seasonal produce exceeds expectations.
This happened to me the other day. Walking the aisle of the supermarket I came upon the most delicious- looking zucchini. I normally buy my fruits and vegetables at the neighborhood farmer’s market but these beauties looked too good to pass up.
Thoughts of grilled or boiled zucchini with PJ Kabos Extra Virgin Olive Oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, feta cheese and fresh village bread to sop up all its healthy juices made my mouth water. It might be winter still and I might normally like to cook vegetables in season but these were too good looking to pass up. Besides, the tag said their origin was a region in Greece close to our olive groves. That had to mean something good.😀
PJ Kabos High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Your Trusted Oil, Straight from Our Table to Yours.
But would the zucchini be tasty?
Watch the making of the grilled zucchini below, try the recipe and tell me what you think?
PJ Kabos Olive Oil Recipe & Video: How to make PJ Kabos' Healthy Grilled Zucchini—Kolokythakia
Vegetable—main or side dish
Serves: 4
PJ KABOS High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil used: Family Reserve—Medium (white tin)
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Equipment
Grill Pan
Ingredients
4-5 small zucchinis (5 to 6 inches long; 13 to 15 cm), strips (¼ inch or 5 mm)
4 tablespoons PJ Kabos Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Family Reserve – Medium (white tin)
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon red pepper, flakes (optional)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
150 grams feta cheese
fresh basil leaves, garnish (optional)
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
vinegar, to taste
How to Prepare PJ Kabos Grilled Zucchini
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
While the pan is heating, finely chop the garlic. Cut the zucchinis lengthwise into strips.
For oil/spice sauce: To a large bowl add the olive oil, dried oregano, salt, finely chopped garlic, black pepper, red pepper (optional as this makes it spicy). Place the zucchini within and mix around to ensure the strips are all covered.
Carefully place the zucchini on the heated grill pan.
Cover the grill pan with a lid and allow the zucchini to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully flip the zucchini strips and continue to cook over high heat, grill pan covered, for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Once the zucchini strips are tender and slightly charred, remove from the heat.
If desired, pour the remaining marinating sauce over the grilled zucchini.
Serving
Add crumbled feta.
Drizzle with vinegar and PJ Kabos Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Village bread
Might be February but the zucchini was delicious!
Actually, the zucchini dish was so good that I went back the next day to buy another batch which I then boiled and served as follows.
PJ KABOS Recipe: Boiled Zucchini—Kolokythakia
Vegetable—main or side dish
Serves: 4
PJ KABOS High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil used: Family Reserve—Medium (white tin)
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
8 medium and slender (5 to 6 inches long; 13 to 15 cm) zucchini, whole
12 tablespoons PJ Kabos Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 3 tablespoons per plate, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon wine vinegar, or to taste
How to Prepare PJ Kabos Boiled Zucchini
Place a medium size pot of water on to boil. Fill it half way with water.
Trim the zucchini by cutting off the two ends—watch out for the prickly end! Then, one by one, under running water rub clean the body of each zucchinis.
Place the zucchinis in boiling water and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until a fork easily punctures the skin—you don’t want them to become mushy.
Place 2 zucchinis each in 4 individual bowls—shallow bowls work best. At this point, in true Mediterranean family style—since this is a very informal meal—invite all into the kitchen to dress the zucchini with the amount of oregano, salt, PJ Kabos High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and vinegar they desire. But if they can’t come…add the amounts listed in ingredients.
Serving
a slab of Feta cheese
olives
fresh village bread—the bread is used to dip in the olive oil/vinegar/zucchini juices of the dish
Kali Orexi—Happy Eating!
Please enjoy having a look around our websites, pjkabos.com and oliveoil.com, as well as our Amazon Store for more about our many high-phenolic olive oils, recipes, etc. And follow along with us on Instagram for photos concerning olive oil production, our groves in Greece, news stories, family history and more.
PJ KABOS is a top, on-line seller of High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is: "For those who want to be good to their bodies."