To enjoy zucchini all year round, you need to prepare them for future use. How to cook dried zucchini for the winter, we learn in a step-by-step recipe with a photo. Video recipe.
Zucchini is a dietary vegetable that is low in calories and contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals. It is popular in the children's menu, especially it is often used for the first feeding of the baby. Therefore, it is important to preserve the zucchini harvest for a long period. Of course, you can buy it in almost any store during the winter season. However, vegetables grown in season differ from the "winter" ones in taste and nutrients.
There are several ways to save zucchini for the winter: freeze or dry. We have already discussed in detail how to freeze the fruits, and in this article we will find out the last version of the preparation. Self-drying zucchini at home is an excellent way to preserve a high-quality and tasty product for the winter without losing valuable vitamins and microelements. Zucchini is dried in different ways. This is done outdoors on a hot sunny day, in an electric dryer, in an oven. For drying, zucchini of milky ripeness or well-ripened, without spots and damage are selected. In the same way, you can prepare not only zucchini, but also eggplants. After drying, vegetables are stored tightly packed in glass jars, dry canvas bags or cardboard boxes.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 24 kcal.
- Servings - from 18 kg of fresh zucchini, 3.5 kg of dried fruit remains
- Cooking time - 8-10 hours
Ingredients:
Zucchini - any quantity
Step by step preparation of dried zucchini, recipe with photo:
1. Wash the fruits, dry with a paper towel and cut. The method of cutting can be different: circles, half rings, cubes, straws … The thickness of the slices should be 1-2 cm. Peel off the peel from old fruits and remove the fibrous middle. Do not remove the core and rind from young zucchini.
Also, the zucchini can be cut into thin slices, which are rolled in spices and herbs. Then you get aromatic and healthy chips.
2. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
3. Dry the zucchini in a preheated oven to a temperature of 45-50 degrees. Keep the door slightly ajar to allow moist air to escape. Turn the zucchini from time to time so that the process goes more evenly. The total drying time is 8-10 hours.
Other drying methods
Drying can be done outdoors in the sun. To do this, string zucchini pieces on a fishing line and hang on the street. This is a long drying process that takes 2-3 weeks. Zucchini, dried in the sun, turns out to be similar to dried ones. You can also dry zucchini in an electric dryer at a temperature of + 55 ° C. Average drying time will take 7-10 hours.
How to use dried zucchini
Dried zucchini in winter is used as an addition to soups, they can be added to stews. Pre-cooking vegetables need to be rehydrated, i.e. restore water balance. To do this, soak dried zucchini in salted water and let it brew. The water should only cover the dried vegetable. It is not necessary to fill the zucchini too abundantly with water, in order to avoid the loss of energy value. If a soup or stew is being prepared, then the zucchini are laid immediately during cooking without pre-soaking. See also a video recipe on how to cook dried zucchini.
