It's been a couple of day since I posted a zucchini recipe, so it seemed like it was time. This one is a tasty to take to a summer potluck because while it's essentially a side dish, it brings along some cheesy protein, which makes it a nice choice for your veggie friends in the crowd (sadly, the vegans will have to sit this one out).

Put a medium sized pot of water on to boil. Cut up two medium or one large zucchini into half inch slices. When the water comes to a boil, put the slices of zucchini in. You want to boil them for about 5 minutes, so that they soften but still have some structure. Drain them well and spread them out messily in a glass baking (use whatever size works best for the amount of zucchini you have, this recipe expands and contracts easily). Now that the zucs are cooked, you make a cheese sauce. There are many recipes for cheese sauces out there. Mine happens to be after the jump.In a small to medium sized pot, melt about a third of a stick of butter over moderate heat. As it melts, sprinkle three tablespoons of flour (I have used whole wheat flour to great success in the past, but it is not traditional to do so) over it and work in with a whisk. When it has cooked together and has started to brown, pour in two cups of milk. I use skim because that's what I typically have in my fridge, but you can use whatever you've got. Whisk to incorporate.

As it thickens, start adding your cheese. You can use whatever you've got laying around in the fridge. I've combined the ends of cheddar, dill havarti and a little parmesan to good result in the past. Continue to add the cheese handful by handful (you are going to use about two cups, but it can be a little under or over). When the cheese has melted, get the sauce off the heat. Sprinkle in a little salt and grind in some pepper. Traditionalists will tell you that you should only use white pepper in a cheese sauce, but I don't like the way it tastes, so I don't follow that advice.

Pour the cheese sauce over the zucchini and bake it at 375 degrees for 15 or so minutes. You want the top to get those nice spots of brown and start to bubble away. If you are going to serve this at a remote location, you can do this final baking off when you get there.

Yum!

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