Zucchini is a summer season joke. The vegetable grows so abundantly in home gardens that the gardeners try to give it away to neighbors (who themselves are battling overload). Very large zucchini are watery and lack pungency. Best use of them is zucchini soup. BSK makes the soup with chunks of zucchini, olive oil, aging lettuce, onions, garlic, chicken broth and spices galore. When cooked, BSK applies the immersion blender and the result is smooth and comforting . HG likes to apply a dollop of Greek yogurt to a steaming bowl plus a dash of cayenne. Blissful. When living in New Mexico, BSK often bought baby zucchini at the local Trader Joe”s. Sauteed gently with chopped garlic, these morsels were a worthy side dish for meat or fish. Unquestionably, the ultimate treat is zucchini blossoms. In Colorado, HG would buy sweet corn at a roadside stand and farm. The generous owner (a very devout Christian who had hopes of converting HG to her faith), would invite HG to forage in her zucchini patch and pick armfuls of the blossoms. BSK would dip them in a light batter, stuff them with mozzarella and anchovies, fry them to a crisp succulence. HG/BSK would sip chilled white wine with these. Ecstasy. Last night, BSK mixed pappardelle in a zucchini, ricotta and bacon sauce. Oh, my!! Another BSK savory dinner.
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