Zucchini & Asparagus Terrine

This no cook zucchini terrine is a delicious dish for summer and is served cold.   A pretty low carb and keto appetizer or picnic dish, it will become a family favourite.  Or enjoy for a light lunch.

Lightly cooked zucchini ribbons encase a cheesy mixture of ricotta and feta with the bright green of the asparagus spears adding a delicate flavour and an appetising colour.  

There’s a bit of preparation with the cooking of the zucchini slices but it’s fun to assemble.  Perhaps something the kids would enjoy helping you with.

What is a vegetable terrine?

A vegetable terrine is made from layers of vegetables held together with a cheese or a gelatine mixture. They are made in a loaf tin and need to set overnight, making them a great make ahead recipe for parties and gatherings.

You could serve this vegetable terrine as an appetiser with a dash of pepper or tomato coulis or with a side salad for a healthy and hearty lunch.   For the non-vegetarians out there, perhaps this zucchini terrine could have smoked salmon added to the layers? 

My advice on cooking the zucchini strips is to cook them gently and not too long.   The water content in the zucchini will see shrinkage as great as George Constanza from Seinfeld in a cold pool.  It took me a few zucchini strips to realize this, but they were set aside to cover any gaps. 

The taste of this zucchini terrine is light, and I think the pesto helped give it an extra flavour.   I even enjoy a slice cold for breakfast the next day.  Being a vegetarian dish, the Chief Taster was not circling it like a hungry lion.   So, the zucchini terrine was safe and made it to the next day.

How to make a zucchini terrine

I found this a fun dish to assemble with most of the cooking time being on the zucchini as you need to cook the ribbons in batches.   There is a satisfying moment when you turn out the chilled zucchini terrine, remove the clingfilm and see the green loaf with the pretty zucchini strips.  I added a couple of yellow zucchinis for a colour contrast, but they didn’t stand out as much as I had hoped.

Recipe Steps

1. Thinly slice the zucchini using a vegetable peeler or mandolin.
2. Grill or fry the zucchini slices. They need to be cooked.
3. Lightly steam the asapragus.
4. Line a 1lb loaf tin with clingfilm.
5. Line the loaf tin with the cooked zucchini strips. Make sure that the strips are overhanging the tin.
6. Layer a cheese mixture and cooked asparagus in the tin.
7. Fold the overhanging zucchini strips over the filling. Add more zucchini strips to seal the top.
8. Chill, then unwrap and serve.

Try this as a make ahead dish.  You could even make it the day before serving.  If you are having a dinner party it would be an ideal appetiser to make ahead.  To me, it would be a perfect picnic food, but I’d cut it into slices beforehand, so the picnic is less messy.  

Recipe Tips

Halve any thick asparagus tips to make an even layer as possible.

Make sure you leave a generous over hang of clingfilm in the tin.

Gently cook the zucchini quickly so not to shrink the strips too much.

You could add fresh herbs to the cheese mixture.  I’d suggest mint or dill.

Feel free to add other cheese.  I’d keep the ricotta as the base but perhaps cream cheese or goats cheese would be a delicious addition.

More low carb appetizers

Baked Zucchini Rings

Everything Cucumber Snacks

7 Layer Taco Dip

Grilled Vegetable Goats Cheese Terrine

Stuffed zucchini flowers

Baked Camembert with Dough Balls

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