Zucchini cobbler/crisp

[Sweet Melissa]

One of my favorite recipes for those gigantic zukes everyone is trying to give away. My family thinks it tastes like apple crisp, some friends think it tastes like peach cobbler.

Zucchini cobbler/crisp

Filling:
8 c. sliced zucchini
2/3 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Topping:
1 c. quick oats
1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. chilled butter
dash of cinnamon

To prepare the zucchini, first cut it in half and peel it. Scoop the seeds and pith out of the center. Cut it again lengthwise once or twice, depending on the size of the zucchini. Slice the zucchini thin. I like the slices to be no more than 2" long and 1/8" thick, so they absorb the lemon juice and spices easily.

In a large pan over medium heat, cook and stir the zucchini and lemon juice until the zucchini is tender and done all the way through, approx. 20 min. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook for about one more minute.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Preheat the oven to 375 deg. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pour filling into baking dish, and sprinkle topping evenly over the filling.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, at least. I bake mine for ~45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve as desired.

[Sweet Melissa]

The key is to slice the zucchini really thin (about the width of a coin), and cook it long enough to absorb the juice and spices. It really should taste like a fruit crisp, not a casserole dish.

Edit: So, I have been playing around with this recipe for a couple summers. It is highly modified from another zucchini cobbler recipe. Made it today, for the first time in almost a year. I thought I had it just how I liked it, but I might try increasing the sugar in the filling, and decreasing the sugar in the topping. It is still good, as is, but I'm not sure it's 'just right' yet.

[hamhock]

Zucchini is so neutral in flavor I could see this being good. Does the filling thicken up pretty good?

[Sweet Melissa]

Yep, just about the same consistency as using apples. The zuke slices are about half the thickness of what I would normally cut apples, but it's not watery, especially after it cools a bit. A lot of the juices are absorbed by the topping.