Lenta.ru has published five recipes for zucchini rolls, offering a seasonal alternative to pancakes, caviar, salads, casseroles and winter preparations as the late summer harvest inspires internet memes.
Freelance author Anna Lugovaya compiled the recipes, noting that the vegetable's neutral taste can be diversified with more than 20 fillings across five categories. Cheese options include curd cheese with herbs and garlic, hard cheese with mayonnaise, processed cheese with egg, or a mix of different cheeses.
Meat fillings include minced chicken with onion, chopped boiled chicken, bacon with cheese, and minced meat with rice. Vegetable fillings feature tomatoes with cheese and herbs, eggplants with garlic, bell pepper with cottage cheese, cucumbers with herbs, fried mushrooms with onions, and baked bell pepper.
Fish and seafood options encompass tuna with egg, shrimp with avocado, smoked fish with olives, and caviar with cream cheese. Cereal fillings include rice with egg, bulgur with vegetables, and buckwheat with mushrooms.
Preparing the zucchini
The roll's base is prepared from different varieties, including courgettes. Young zucchinis can be grated with their skin, but the rough skin and seeds must be removed from large, ripe fruits.
To remove excess liquid before adding the zucchini to the dough, the grated vegetable should be sprinkled with salt and left for five to 10 minutes. The mixture must then be squeezed by hand, or using cheesecloth or a sieve, and the juice drained.
Zucchinis are rich in vitamins and microelements, containing phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Their potassium content, at 262 milligrams per 100 grams, helps fight swelling and benefits people with cardiovascular diseases.
The vegetable contains vitamins PP, B1, B6, B2, A, E and K, and is particularly high in vitamin C at 17 milligrams per 100 grams. Zucchinis also contain pectins, a polysaccharide and type of soluble fiber, which help cleanse the body of toxins, protect the gastrointestinal tract from damage and help strengthen blood vessels.
Curd cheese and bell pepper roll
The first recipe uses two young courgettes, four eggs, 250 grams of curd cheese, one tablespoon of plain yogurt, half a red bell pepper, half a yellow bell pepper, 20 grams of dill, one garlic clove, half a teaspoon of ground pepper, three teaspoons of salt, half a teaspoon of paprika and four tablespoons of wheat flour.
One courgette is grated, salted for 10 minutes and squeezed. It is mixed with the eggs, one teaspoon of salt, yogurt, ground pepper, paprika and flour, and spread on a baking sheet lined with oiled baking paper.
The second courgette is cut into thin circles, laid overlapping on the mixture, and salted to taste. It is baked at 180 degrees for 25 minutes, then immediately turned over onto a sheet of baking paper to cool.
The filling is made by mixing finely diced bell pepper with the curd cheese, chopped dill and salt. This is spread on the warm roll's side without the courgette circles. The roll is wrapped in parchment, refrigerated for two to three hours, cut into slices and served.
Minced chicken and cheese roll
The second recipe requires one young zucchini, 300 grams of minced chicken, four eggs, 50 grams of onion, three garlic cloves, 100 milliliters of cream with 10 to 20 percent fat, 100 milliliters of sour cream with 20 percent fat, 100 grams of hard cheese, two tablespoons of vegetable oil, and salt and black pepper to taste.
The zucchini is cut into thin circles, salted and placed on an oiled, parchment-lined baking sheet. Eggs beaten with salt until fluffy are poured over the slices and baked for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.
Finely chopped onion and pressed garlic are fried in oil for two to three minutes. The minced meat, salt and pepper are added and fried for five to seven minutes to break up lumps. The cream is poured in and stewed for five minutes, followed by the sour cream for another five minutes.
The sponge cake base is removed from the oven and slightly cooled. The parchment is removed, and the crust is sprinkled with grated cheese. The chicken filling is spread evenly, the crust is rolled, and the roll is baked on parchment for 15 minutes at 180 degrees, before cooling in the refrigerator for two to three hours and serving.
Vegetarian roll without eggs
The third recipe uses two young zucchinis, two tomatoes, one carrot, one onion, three to four green onion stalks, a small bunch of dill, three to five tablespoons of wheat flour, 100 grams of hard cheese, two tablespoons of lean mayonnaise, three tablespoons of vegetable oil, and salt and ground black pepper to taste.
The washed and coarsely grated zucchinis are squeezed of excess liquid and mixed with finely chopped onion, coarsely grated cheese and peeled carrot, and finely chopped greens. This is mixed with flour, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.
The dough is spread evenly on oiled parchment and baked at 180 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until browned. For the filling, pressed garlic, grated cheese and mayonnaise are mixed, and the tomatoes are sliced thinly.
The slightly cooled zucchini crust is spread with the cheese and garlic paste, topped with tomato slices, and rolled. It is refrigerated for two hours before being cut into portioned slices and served.
Flourless red fish roll
The fourth recipe uses one zucchini or courgette weighing between 400 and 450 grams, three chicken eggs, one bunch of dill and parsley greens, 200 grams of cream cheese, 200 grams of lightly salted red fish, and salt and ground black pepper to taste.
The zucchini is washed, its tail removed, and grated with its peel before being squeezed well. Finely chopped greens, eggs, salt and pepper are mixed in.
The mixture is spread evenly on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet, baked at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, transferred to baking paper, and rolled up with the paper to cool to room temperature.
The unrolled blank is spread with cream cheese, leaving two to three centimeters free on one edge, and topped with finely chopped fish. It is rolled, wrapped tightly in cling film, and refrigerated for two to three hours before the film is removed and the roll sliced into portions.
Sweet strawberry roll
The final recipe uses one young zucchini, one chicken egg, one 200-milliliter glass of milk, three tablespoons of sugar, two cups of wheat flour, 50 milliliters of vegetable oil, a pinch of salt, 400 grams of fresh strawberries, 400 grams of soft cottage cheese, 200 milliliters of 10 percent cream, 80 grams of icing sugar, vanillin on the tip of a knife, a small bunch of fresh mint, one tablespoon of instant gelatin, and 200 milliliters of hot water.
The washed, trimmed and coarsely grated zucchinis are squeezed of juice. Egg yolks are beaten with sugar and salt, then mixed with sour cream and flour. Stiffly beaten egg whites are gently folded into the dough. Six zucchini pancakes are baked in an oiled pan and left to cool.
For the filling, the cottage cheese is beaten with icing sugar and cream, before previously dissolved gelatin is added. Diced strawberries and chopped mint leaves are mixed in, and the curd cream is frozen for 15 minutes to thicken.
The pancakes are laid flat in two overlapping rows. The curd filling is spread on the base, which is rolled up. The top is spread with curd cream and decorated with strawberry slices and mint leaves, before freezing for 20 minutes and refrigerating for two hours. The roll is sliced before serving.
