We experience food not just with our palates, but with all our senses. We taste first with our eyes, embracing the colors and shapes of a dish and imagining the flavors to follow. If a dish has history or deep cultural meaning, we also taste intellectually. Zucchini caviar aka Kabachkovaya Ikra definitely caries cultural meaning and brings me back to my childhood in Ukraine. I wasn’t a big fan of veggies as a kid, but this magic spread on freshly baked piece of bread was my favorite snack.
Today I love making this smooth, creamy and satisfying zucchini caviar for my family as it’s just such an easy and delicious dish that’s perfect for lazy summer grazing. Paired with your favorite bread or chips the whole meal comes together as a snap and the flavor is rockin!
Recipe for my zucchini caviar won’t break your bank and make you search the whole grocery store for the ingredients, it only requires a few basic ones. I am huge fan of recipes that are easy and quick to make. You can substitute zucchinis with a young squash as well.
Plus this recipe goes with anything and everything much like our favorite Adjika!
Ingredients:
3 lb zucchini, peeled and shredded
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
few bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
I used my pressure cooker to make this zucchini caviar and it was super easy and convenient. All done in just 15 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can still make this, it will just take a little longer.
Sprinkle shredded zucchinis with salt and let it sit for 20 minutes so that the salt can extract all the juices from them. After 20 minutes throw zucchinis on the strainer and drain out all the liquids by pressing them gently.
Then combine strained zucchinis, onions and carrots in a big heavy pot with oil and let it sweat for 15 minutes on medium heat, scrapping off the bottom occasionally. Then add crushed tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, sugar and season with salt and peppers. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture onto the strainer one more time and press slightly to drain out the liquids.
Let it slightly cool down and pour the mixture into the blender. Puree and serve this creamy zucchini caviar with your favorite bread, crepes or chips.
- 3 lb zucchini, peeled and shredded
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
- few bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Sprinkle shredded zucchinis with salt and let it sit for 20 minutes so that the salt can extract all the juices from them.
- After 20 minutes throw zucchinis on the strainer and drain out all the liquids by pressing them gently.
- Combine strained zucchinis, onions and carrots in a big heavy pot with oil and let it sweat for 15 minutes on medium heat, scrapping off the bottom occasionally.
- Add crushed tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, sugar and season with salt and peppers. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the mixture onto the strainer one more time and press slightly to drain out the liquids.
- Let it slightly cool down and pour the mixture into the blender.
- Puree and serve this creamy zucchini caviar with your favorite bread, crepes or chips.
Joan Trahan says
Pair this with crepes made from Plaintain Flour, egg, coconut (any kind) milk, dash of salt, and you’ve got a super special, Non Gluten meal!!
Check out Plantain Flour (or fresh, green, cooked, drained plantains) for pancakes, or bread things (350- 20-30 m. On oiled cookie sheet.
We need more recipes for this wonderful flour badly. The internet only shows 2-3 for the Plantain Flour, which is food for our gut biomes, so popular and important right now.
If there were a cookbook showing how to make palatable, gut biome sustaining foods or flours, I would buy it in a NY minute!
Thanks for the Forum!
Joanie Trahan
Kristina says
This was really good. I have a lot of zucchini in my garden this year. I’m glad I made this with it.
Olessia says
Hi, would you advise please how to make it in instant pot?
Lily says
Hi Olessia! So easy! Just throw all the ingredients in the pot and cook under pressure for 15 minutes. Release the steam and let chill until room temperature. Hope you enjoy it!