As I write this, the day has gone from the clearest blue sky to a tempest of pelting rain. The temperature is forecast to drop to 3C later today, with snow falling on the mountaintops.
It’s February. Where did summer go? Living down here amongst the mountains in Wānaka, I’ve come to realise it can actually snow on any given day of the year. My vegetable garden, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t expecting this sudden frigid Antarctic blast. Sudden, dramatic changes in temperature play havoc with plants and have the effect of prompting vegetables like lettuce, spinach, fennel and some members of the cabbage family to bolt prematurely. Instead of fattening up and maturing, they go straight to seed. Luckily, that won’t be happening to my zucchini. Sure, the cold will slow them down a bit, but provided it doesn’t freeze, they’ll chug back into production once the temperatures start heating up again. And then, as anyone who has grown zucchini knows full well, it’s hard to keep up. Turn your back for a few days and you’ll be facing a barrow full of giant marrows.

Right now, zucchini are cheap, plentiful, tender and sweet. Their relatively bland flavour makes them a brilliant filler for a pasta sauce or a summer vegetable stew, like ratatouille. Young tender zucchini are delicious finely sliced and eaten raw, and their crisp crunchy texture partners well with goat cheese or parmesan, mint, basil or tarragon, garlic, chili, lemon rind and all kinds of nuts. Drizzle over some good-quality olive oil, or if you want the zucchini to soften a little dress with a tangy vinaigrette.

You can also soften zucchini by sprinkling thin slices with salt and leaving for about half an hour. Be sure to rinse well before using. If you are making zoodles (zucchini noodles), with a vegetable spiraliser you can get them to a nice al dente texture just by putting in a colander and pouring over a jug of boiling water. This quick scalding gives them a slightly flexible texture without turning them to mush. Because zucchini have such a high water content, it’s best to squeeze as much of the moisture as possible out of them after you have grated them, when using for fritters or frittata, muffins or any other baking, as otherwise you will end up with a soggy mush. The only time this doesn’t apply is if you are using chickpea flour, as here the liquid released from the zucchini works in your favour to prevent the batter from being too dry. Oven baked zucchini chips make a filling snack that’s reasonably healthy (a lot healthier than deep-fried options). Simply dip slices of zucchini in seasoned egg to coat then dunk in a mix of cornmeal and polenta. Put on an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy.

Here then, some of my favourite zucchini recipes to put the season’s glut to delicious use.

Grilled zucchini mutabbal

This wonderful dip has Arabic origins and sits somewhere between baba ganoush and hummus. It is excellent with crackers, pita, crunchy vegetables, and in sandwiches. Don’t be frightened of getting a bit of char on the zucchini, as this delivers a rich, slightly smoky flavour.

Ready in about 30 minutes.

Serves six as a starter.

Three zucchini, base and ends trimmed, cut lengthways into 2cm slices

One Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

¼ cup packed chopped parsley leaves

¼ cup lemon juice

Three cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Two Tbsp hulled tahini

¾ tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve

1 Tbsp za’atar or sumac

Crackers or crispbreads

One head baby romaine, base trimmed, cut in half lengthways, and leaves pulled apart

Flaky sea salt

Place the zucchini in a large bowl with the olive oil, use your hands to toss thoroughly to coat.

Preheat your barbecue grill and grill the zucchini over medium-high heat until lightly charred and slightly softened; about four minutes each side. (You can also use a heavy frypan.)

Remove from heat, set aside in a bowl and cover with a plate to cool. Once the zucchini is cool enough to handle, add all other ingredients to the bowl and blitz using a hand blender or a food processor.

When you’re ready to eat, transfer to a serving bowl and top with za’atar or sumac. Serve alongside crackers and lettuce (or crunchy vegetables of your choice), drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

Tuscan zucchini soup

This soup keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, but don’t freeze it as it will lose its pretty, fresh green colour. See the photo on the previous page.

Ready in 30 minutes.

Serves six.

Three tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Eight zucchini, finely chopped

30-40 basil leaves, chopped

Four cloves garlic, crushed

One tsp salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

Four cups vegetable or chicken stock

60g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

One Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Heat oil in a large pot and add zucchini, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat until the zucchini is soft but not brown (about 10 minutes).

Remove half a cup of zucchini mixture and reserve for garnishing soup. Add stock to remaining zucchini and simmer over a medium heat until the zucchini are very soft and transparent (about eight minutes). Transfer to a food processor or whizz with a hand wand mixer in the pot until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve, stir in parmesan and parsley and bring to just below a simmer. Ladle into six warm bowls and top each with a spoonful of reserved zucchini and more parmesan.

Nonna’s zucchini sugo

The simplicity of this dish lies in an abundance of perfectly sweet zucchini at the peak of summer, which melt in your mouth after being cooked down in olive oil. We often make the sugo in bulk and freeze it, like you would a tomato sauce, to whip out in the depths of winter. You can of course add some pesto or parmesan, but the sauce doesn’t actually need it.

Ready in 45 minutes

Serves four.

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Four cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Finely grated zest of one lemon

¼ cup basil leaves

One tsp salt

Six medium zucchini, cut in half lengthways, then cut into 1cm slices (about 1.5kg)

500g of dried pasta such as rigatoni or gluten-free alternative

To serve:

½ cup Garlicky Breadcrumbs (see below)

Two zucchini flowers, pistils/stamens removed, torn into large chunks (optional)

A few basil leaves

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, lemon zest, basil and salt, and gently saute until the garlic has softened but not yet browned (one to two minutes). Add the zucchini along with two tablespoons of water, reduce the heat to very low, cover tightly, and cook until the zucchini is very soft and falling apart (30–35 minutes). If the zucchini look like they are drying out, add a little more water- they will end up fully collapsed and completely tender. Check the seasoning, adjust to taste and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta, following the instructions on the packet, until al dente. Once cooked, reserve a quarter cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta. Once drained, mix the pasta into the zucchini mixture along with the reserved pasta cooking liquid, stirring over low heat for a minute or two while piping hot.

To serve, divide the pasta between bowls, sprinkle with garlicky breadcrumbs and garnish with zucchini flowers, if using, and basil leaves. Season to taste and eat immediately.

Garlicky breadcrumbs

Mix a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil with the finely grated zest of one lemon and two to three finely grated cloves of garlic. Stir through two cups of panko crumbs, along with half a teaspoon of faky salt.

Either toast in a frying pan or bake at 160C until golden (about 20 minutes). Allow to cool before storing. Breadcrumbs will keep in a sealed container in the pantry for a couple of weeks. Make sure you keep them cool so they don’t become rancid.

by Yvonne Lorkin

(Grilled zucchini mutabbal)

Two Rivers Convergence Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($18-$25)

When Annabel mentioned that Mutabbal is somewhere between baba ghanoush and hummus, I went straight to my happy place, because basically those things are my recreational drugs of choice. And I’ll choose to wash them down with lashings of good sauvignon. The second someone pours a glass of Convergence, you’ll be able to smell its crazy, punchy pungency from across the room. Or possibly across the street. You may even be overrun by sauvignon blanc zombies clawing at your windows with an unslakeable desire to have what you’re having. With basil, sweet pea, capsicum and nettle-infused niceness on the nose, plus buckets of white peach and passionfruit saturating the palate, it’s delicious. thegoodwine.co.nz

(Nonna’s zucchini sugo)

Tenuta Sallier de La Tour DOC Sicilia Inzolia 2022 ($27)

What else would you sip with this lemony, herby, zucchini-y, garlicky gorgeousness than something exotically Italian right? The Sallier de La Tour project was created in 2008 by Filiberto Sallier de La Tour, one of the Sicilian princes of Camporeale. Inzolia is a grape originating in western Sicily, and it’s also known as “ansonica”. Two exotic names; one gorgeous grape. Noted for its nutty aroma, peachy and creamy characters on the nose, and bold, refreshing textures in the mouth, it’s a lip-smackingly generous, cleansing summer’s day in a sip. Gum tingle? Yes. Lip prickle? Yes. Pasta perfect? Also yes. sapori.co.nz

(Tuscan zucchini soup)

Cuvar Iris Collection Rosé 2023 ($25)

The creamy, textural, slightly peppery deliciousness of this rich, herby, cheesy, zucchini soup simply screams out for a rich, ripe, robustly flavoursome rosé and the Cuvar is exactly that. Crafted from the Fistonich family’s favourite Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay vineyards, it’s a perfect north/south blend of 80 per cent pinot noir and 20 per cent syrah, which unleashes rich blackcurrant and cherry complexity, raspberry leaf, red apple and creamy generosity on the palate. Shepherded into the bottle by the mighty Michelle Richardson, this rosé has personality, weight, charm and spectacular sippability. cuvarwinery.com