I don’t understand the vitriol with which people assault innocent zucchini. Maybe it’s just so common to complain about it that its arrival presents us a rare chance to rail against vegetables without feeling guilty.
Yes, it’s prolific and it’s hard to figure out what to do with it all. But it’s so versatile, its flavor so subtle, texture so creamy, its prep so simple, I actually herald its arrival in local vegetable patches (though not my own. I don’t have the space for vining stuff, but I’m happy to partake of the bushels of it provided by my co-worker and favorite vegetable gardener Pat Cuneo).
I made a pureed soup with it for Loaves & Dishes in 2002 that I popped into my head this morning, and now it’s ballooned into a full-blown craving.

ZUCCHINI SOUP
11/2 teaspoons olive oil
11/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
9 cups (1-inch) sliced zucchini,(about 21/2 pounds)
5 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper
1. Heat oil in a 2-quart stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add zucchini, broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or until zucchini is very tender. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Place half of the zucchini mixture in a blender; cover tightly, and process until smooth. Pour pureed zucchini mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini mixture. Place pureed zucchini mixture in pan. Cook over low heat five minutes or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.
Makes 10-12 cups
n Per 1 cup: 43 calories, .5 gram fat, 2.7 grams fiber.
– adapted from Cooking Light
UPDATE: Making this the evening of July 18, 2012, I replaced most of the pepper with a teaspoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Howdy, folks. Coming at you from beautiful Conneaut, Ohio, where I’m basking in the sun (gardening) and drinking my fill (gatorade).
How’s this for crazy: I planted 28 tomato plants. Mmmm hmmm.
OMG, you might say, WHY? Well, that’s what I’m saying. My mom and mother in law both gave me some, and couldn’t turn them down. When I was ready to put them in, I counted them for the first time. I felt my eyes get wide, but then I shrugged. You know? Tomatoes are the only reason I plant a garden anyway. I put in some other stuff: peas, peppers, carrots, lettuce and spinach more or less out of a sense of duty. Some onions and garlic are already growing. But I decided to be honest with myself. Last year I planted two rows of yellow and green beans and froze billions. Most of them are still in the freezer. Turns out I don’t really like beans. I’m kind of halfsies on potatoes, too. No beets this year. I like them, but not enough to give up precious tomato space.
In the end, I could have planted a whole other garden with all the stuff the moms gave me, but I knew I couldn’t handle it.
I figure I’m growing as a gardener (har har) because I know when to say when.
Right. Well, except for the 28 tomato plants.
I knew I’d be beyond hungry come dinner time, and I wasn’t going to want to go anywhere so I threw these in the fridge in the morning and cooked them up about 7 p.m. I was beyond thrilled to find that we were out of propane, and reveled in hauling the dagnabbed things back into the kitchen to cook under the broiler. Sigh.
They were good anyway.
Here’s how you’re supposed to make it:

GRILLED INDONESIAN CHICKEN
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 onion, quartered
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass (I used the pureed stuff Wegmans sells in a tube.)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste (I couldn’t find this. See note for the substitute I found online)
1 serrano chili, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 boneless chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless.)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Place the first 15 ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Combine 3/4 of the marinade with the chicken in a (enormous) zip top bag (or use a big old mixing bowl) Marinate several hours or overnight.
3. Set up the grill for indirect cooking at roughly 350 degrees.
4. Remove the chicken from the bag, salt and pepper and place on the well-oiled grill over the heated side. Sear the chicken by placing it skin-side down (unless you’re using skinless). Cook about 6 minutes, turning once.
5. Move the chicken to the cooler side of the grill and grill 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with remaining paste mixture and turning ojnce, or until the chicken is well-marked and the juices run clear.
– adapted from "Born to Grill," by Rob Rainford
Note: Substitute for tamarind paste: 1 tablespoon dates, 1 tablespoon prunes and 1 tablespoon dried apricots, all chopped. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes. Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and puree. That’ll make about 1/3 cup.