I Have Too Many Zucchini!!!

Zucchini Grande!

As most things in life when it rains it pours!  I recently was extremely busy with work and neglected my garden for a few days; yeah I know “bad gardener”.  I have since made up for it and my crops love me again!  I was stuck with the age old dilemma what to do with this zucchini especially the really large ones that generally are tough and fibrous when cooked.  I already had a great flank steak marinating for 2 days in the fridge begging to be grilled, so I pulled out my Vita-Prep Blender (best blender out there, it will grind up anything!) and pureed both the skin and the flesh separately.  I let the flesh drain through a chinois (fancy chef term for a fine mesh sieve) and kept the skin separate and cold to add a great color to the risotto.  Many times we cook vegetables in their own juices to intensify the flavor, same goes with pasta or risotto in this case.  I used entirely zucchini juice  for the liquid, finished with just before serving with the skin puree and of course a little bit of diced zucchini, topped with the grilled flank steak and marinated cherry tomatoes and onions from the garden in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Now thank god thats one less loaf of zucchini bread out there! 

Peeled, Chopped Zucchini

Zucchini Skin

Zucchini Flesh Juiced

Zucchini Skin Puree

Risotto with Onions

Zucchini Risotto

Grilled Flank Steak, Zucchini Risotto & Marinated Tomatoes