Today’s Special

Oh, come on, let’s eat some more garden-fresh zucchini for it’s not going to last forever. DW’s expecting any day now to wake and find his squash crop gone. He’s battled a family of rabbits in the garden, but luckily no squash bugs as of yet (fingers crossed and knocking on wood).

So, we might as well indulge in summer’s bounty of fresh zucchini as long as it lasts.  I just happen to have a few more recipes to share, they’re as plentiful as rabbits.

Soup in the summer?  Well, yeah. Turn the A/C temp down and enjoy Cream of Zucchini Soup with marinated sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella cheese and torn basil leaves on the side with a rich brioche bread.  But it’s also really, really good with honey-buttered cornbread.

And for meatless Monday try this layered Zucchini Lasagna. Sliced zucchini is perfect for layering and baking. The recipe makes 2 servings but can be doubled or tripled to make plenty more.  It calls for cottage cheese, but I prefer ricotta cheese, which is creamier.  And to make it more like lasagna, layer in a couple of sheets of al dente cooked lasagna pasta between the zucchini layers.  You could also prepare in a foil pan, cool, wrap, then freeze this dish to thaw and reheat for supper later into the fall, when the zucchini is no more.  Comfort food at its finest.

The relish is so good on summer’s field peas.  But you can also dress up canned white beans or pinto beans with a little spoonful of this spicy tart relish, another way to extend zucchini’s season well into the winter. And, give it a try on hotdogs or grilled brats, it will take these easily grilled foods into the next stratosphere.  Be prepared for a blast off!

Now about those squash bugs.  DW picks them off if he finds them in time and then burns them so they won’t come back.  However, I’ve read recently of a gardener who declares that planting herbs…dill, thyme, basil, parsley with pretty marigold flowers down the squash row keeps the squash bugs at bay.  And all those delicious herbs pair perfectly with zucchini! It’s certainly worth a try.

Click here for Cream of Zucchini Soup Recipe

Click here for Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Click here for Zucchini Relish Recipe