Never too many zucchini

The temperatures finally rose above 80 degrees F, and the summer squash has taken off. This past week, I worked late two evenings and forgot to keep close tabs. The inevitable happened. Thursday evening, I found two 2 lb. zucchinis.

Every food gardener knows the litany of jokes: the gardener who slips out in the dead of night to slip a zucchini or two into the passenger seat of parked cars, the rural town where people lock their houses and cars only during zucchini season. In her wonderful poem, "Attack of the Squash People," Marge Piercy writes, in part:

They're coming, they're on us

the long striped gourds ….

Recite fifty zucchini recipes!

Zucchini tempura; creamed soup;

sauté with olive oil and cumin,

tomatoes, onion; frittata;

casserole of lamb; baked

topped by cheese; marinated; stuffed; stewed; driven

through the heart like a stake. ....

Sneak out before dawn to drop

them in other people's gardens,

in baby buggies at church doors.

Shot, smuggling zucchini into

mailboxes, a federal offense. ....*

The old stand-by, zucchini bread, barely uses a cup of shredded squash, two at most.

Then I found a recipe for yellow squash soup in a magazine, adapted it to zucchini, and my problem was solved. It’s delicious, uses up LOTS of squash, can be served hot or chilled, and best of all, freezes well, without losing its texture or taste. Zucchini, at its summer peak, can lead to choruses of “not again.” Zucchini soup, during the cold, dark winter months, is deeply appreciated. We froze 12 quarts of zucchini soup last year, and it was gone long before the spring thaw, leaving us wishing for more.

Now we never have too many zucchini. That's good, since we have five zucchini plants this year, including a extremely healthy "volunteer" (at right; the zucchini is the bushy plant with the darkest green leaves, growing among the trailing winter squash and the climbing pole beans).

Here’s the recipe. Quantities are approximate as soups are very forgiving. I rarely measure and often substitute ingredients, depending on what I have available. Increase proportionately if you have more than 2 lbs. of zucchini.

Never-too-many zucchini soup

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion (or equivalent scallions), chopped

3-4 cloves garlic (or garlic scapes in season), chopped

1 small leek, if available (otherwise omit, and increase onion)

Approx. 2 lbs of zucchini, coarsely chopped

Approx. 3-4 cups chicken broth

Thyme, several fresh sprigs, or 1-2 tsps dry

Lemon balm, handful of leaves, chopped (or some lemon zest)

Salt

Dash of red pepper

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Parmesan cheese

Pine nuts (or chopped walnuts)

In a good soup pot, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions, garlic and leek, stirring, until onions are translucent. Add the zucchini and herbs, and sauté for another 5 minutes or so. Add enough chicken broth to just about cover the zucchini (less if you like your soup thicker, more if you like it thinner. Usually, I start on the side of “less” and add more broth at the end if I need.) Simmer, stirring, for 10-15 minutes, until the zucchini softens.

In a blender (with a tight cover), puree the soup in batches. Add the lemon juice. Add more chicken broth if you want a thinner soup.

If you’re saving the soup for winter, let cool and freeze. (I use plastic containers or 1 qt. zip-lock freezer bags.) Otherwise, reheat after pureeing or refrigerate to serve cold.

When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle about 1-2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese and some pine nuts or walnuts on top (more or less depending on taste).

This soup is surprising filling. With some fresh bread, corn muffins, or pasta, it makes a light, but satisfying meal. As a main course, this recipe will serve 2-3 people. As a "first course" or side, it should serve 4-6.

The first two quarts of this soup just went into the freezer, leaving just enough for two bowls for lunch. I'm off to partake.

* Note: Marge Piercy's full poem can be found in the collection, The Moon is Always Female (1986).