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8 Slavic Recipes With Zucchini

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Ah, zucchini – green, striped, yellow, grilled, sautéed, fried, baked, stuffed, boiled, steamed, roasted… the list of possibilities goes on and on! To name just a couple of creative ideas for those extroverts among you – zucchini “pasta” noodles and zucchini crust pies. This post, however, isn’t about groundbreaking, Michelin star dishes centered around zucchini, but on more common, yet still delicious zucchini recipes with Slavic origins. Thanks to this vegetable’s all year round availability and the fact that it changes flavor and texture every time depending on how you cook it, you can experiment with these easy recipes and adapt them to your liking.

The 5-minute zucchini salad

Poles are no strangers to high culinary arts, but when it comes to one of their typical zucchini salads, things couldn’t get any simpler. If you’re a fan of the fresh, raw zucchini flavor and you want to fix yourself something quick, this fail-proof salad with thin zucchini slices, dill, yogurt and minced garlic is a great option. You can spice it up even further by adding some chopped pickles.

Full recipe: here

The classic fried zucchini

If you’ve never tasted these before (which let’s face it, is probably unlikely), be prepared – you’ll either love or hate them. Either way, they are absolutely suitable for every season and extremely easy to prepare. These rolled in flour, pan-fried zucchini slices are traditionally served with yogurt sauce that’s flavored with minced garlic and freshly chopped herbs.

Full recipe: here

A twist on Chicken Kiev with zucchini

The Russian Chicken Kiev, the Swiss Cordon Bleu and the Spanish Cachopo have one thing in common – all of these roulades come with tasty fillings. Whether you’re a fan of the classic chicken Kiev method or you prefer rolling the meat, you can easily take the stuffed chicken recipe derived from the old Russian Empire (which actually adopted techniques inspired by many foreign cuisines) to the next level by adding some grated zucchini to the roulades before deep frying or baking them.

Full recipe: here

Stuffed zucchini boats

Here’s an old classic that’s actually popular in many countries and cultures, not just among Slavs – stuffed zucchini boats. While the traditional recipe calls for rice and some sort of minced meat (usually beef or pork mince) you can let your creativity flow and stuff the boats with your favorite fillings, be they meatless or not.

Full recipe: here

Stuffed zucchini cylinders

An interesting twist on the classic zucchini boats are these stuffed zucchini cylinders. Although Balkan Lunchbox’s recipe features the traditional rice and beef stuffing, you can experiment with these just as much as you can with the zucchini boats. Even if you stick to the basics and don’t boost the original recipe, the looks of these stuffed cylinders alone are creative enough to put a smile on your friends and relatives’ faces.

Full recipe: here

Easy zucchini and carrot soup

Slavic soups and stews are known for their rich, palatable and filling deliciousness, but not all of them require you to spend lengthy hours slaving over the stove. This Croatian veggie soup is light, healthy and easy to prepare. And most of all, it calls for ingredients your babushka most definitely already has in her pantry, so you won’t have to make any trips to the supermarket.

Full recipe: here

Tiganici with zucchini

Tiganici are fried flatbread snacks most Macedonians remember from their childhood years. Although they’re usually served with yogurt, some sort of cheese or jam, they can also be made with grated zucchini, which go perfect with the yogurt, as well as with any type of cheese.

Full recipe: here

The Russian zucchini caviar

And here’s something your family might remember from old USSR times – ikra, or zucchini caviar. Well, it’s not exactly caviar, since it’s made out of pureed zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, onions (and sometimes other ingredients like eggplant and peppers) instead of fish roe, which is why it has often been dubbed as “the poor man’s caviar” in the past. You can use this vitamin-packed goodness for dips, spreads, appetizers, sauces and side dishes.

Full recipe: here

Zucchini are an affordable and widely available source of dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium and numerous vitamins. You can never go wrong with them, be it in classic Slavic dishes or in foreign-inspired recipes with a zucchini twist.

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