[Judy]

How have we allowed the forums to be going for so long without dedicating a special corner to the 2 ingredients that brought us all together?! I'll start this one on zucchini and leave the chocolate thread to someone who can start us off with a fantastic chocolate recipe - there's a challenge for us all!

My zucchini plants are giving us enough to keep both my household and my parents' in as many as we can all eat, and I know it's not going to be too long before we have more than we can manage on our hands. I love having an abundance of fruit and vegetables - it feels great giving them away to friends and family.

I'd love it if forum members would share their favourite zucchini recipes on this thread, the few of us from the southern hemisphere can use them now, then we can revisit it and add more when our friends in the north are enjoying their summer.

Thanks!

[melinda]

Hey Judy, My favorite is cold squash soup....although hard to think of now that it's gettin colder in the states....not elaborate but quick & good....cook sliced squash with chopped onions & a bit of chicken stock till tender & use one of those stick blenders to whiz up....chill......u can add cream, sour cream or milk but is plenty creamy by itself.

[brighidsdaughter]

Zucchini Skillet

A bit of olive oil
A bit of minced garlic
A bit of diced onion
A bit of diced red bell pepper
Thinly sliced zucchini

Sweat the garlic, onion & pepper in olive oil until tender but not brown. Add zuccnini and toss to coat with oil. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is as done as you prefer.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Squash blossoms
Cream cheese with herbs, softened
Tempura batter
Oil

Remove "innards" from blossoms. Stuff with cheese, using a pstry bag or zip-lock with a tiny corner cut off. Refrigerate until cheese is firm. Dip in tempura batter and deep-fry in very hot oil until pale golden. Or omit the batter and frying altogether & serve at room temp. These are nice with a nasturtium-garnished salad of mixed greens.

[sobodda]

I thought this would be a good thread to add that I made the Zucchini Sesame soup that Clotilde posted last January and it was SO GOOD. I don't think I've ever made (or maybe even eaten) a soup this good:
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/01/soupe_de_courgette_au_sesame.php

Plus it looks really pretty - here's how mine came out: http://providencian-food.blogspot.com/2005/02/zucchini-sesame-soup.html

Definitely try it!

[Barbara]

I use a cheese slice to get long thin strips of zucchini which I stir fry as a vegetable to go with any meat. So quick and looks good on the plate.
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Barbara