"zucchini" news and stories

• It's zucchini season -- you might need some recipe suggestions.
• Family reunions are potluck heaven.
• Got corn on the cob? Put a little char on it.
• Northwest wines are the main character in Swirl, Sip & Savor.

Happy National Zucchini Day!

Zucchini is one of those vegetables we embrace year-round, and summer is no exception. As many of you, here at Slashfood we've been favoring light lunches and dinners with the oppressive summer heat, yet zucchini manages to tie in well, with its natural moisture and vegetal flavor.

Slice it thinly and let it marinate with some olive oil, balsamic and good-quality salt for zucchini carpaccio, or scramble it with some eggs, leeks and peas for a light spring frittata. Grill it and top it on some crusty bread along with goat cheese and basil for a satisfying open-faced sandwich, or bake it into a quiche with some kale and onion for a light summer supper. For a richer dinner, cut the zucchini into "pasta" strands and serve with pesto, or eschew potato for zucchini in these zucchini pancakes, seasoned with dill and feta. It can even be used in baking -- we suggest enlivening the usual ginger bread with the addition of fresh zucchini to guarantee moisture.

But don't just take our suggestions -- we'd love to hear yours! Share your favorite zucchini recipes in the comments.

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It's our old pal summer squash again, but this time it's simply grilled and dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chile and garlic, and scattered with fresh basil leaves. You could make green and yellow squash more complicated (as we did in last week's posts about southwestern zucchini boats, and zucchini with peas and pasta), but when you're putting together a quick grilled dinner, this is the recipe of choice.

Feta and mint also make a good match with the squash, as in this recipe from Curtis Stone.

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Zucchini Madness, Day Two, finds our old friends scooped out into boats, which the zucchini seems built for. They make the ideal edible longboat bowl.

You can stuff these big boys with a simple sauté of the zucchini flesh, onions and garlic, and top them with bread crumbs and bake; add a little cheese and herbs, as in this recipe, or, as blogger adashofsass does, above, load them up with a spicy turkey-and-black-bean chili and cheese combo, for a southwestern flavor. (See the recipe here.)

Run out of ideas for the bushels of zucchini you may be harvesting or find at the market right now? Browse these zucchini recipes from Kitchen Daily, for frittatas, pancakes, breads, salads and a whole lot more.

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Zucchini is the garden's gift that keeps on giving . . . and giving . . . and, well, enough already. We love the bright orange blossoms peeking out from under the vines, and get excited by the first squash, and then, after we've eaten about 30 of them, we run out of ideas on how to prepare them. So today and tomorrow I'm featuring a couple of recipes that will make you fall in love with those omnipresent veggies all over again.

Blogger everybodylikessandwiches keeps it simple, with her recipe for this pasta dish. She uses sliced baby zucchini, which she sautés in olive oil with garlic, chili flakes and fresh peas, then mixes in salty crumbled feta and fragrant basil and mint leaves. And a squeeze of lemon makes it pop.

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