Garlic can add interest to any vegetable – even zucchini. On the eve of National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night (yes it is a real national holiday, ask any Vermont gardener), it is appropriate that we celebrate the green bounty of the garden with garlic recipes.
Of course garlic and zucchini make great bed fellows and are divine with pasta – sauté shredded zucchini and ample garlic in olive oil, toss with al dente spaghetti, shaved Parmesan and hot pepper flakes – but there are many other great ways to combine these marvels of the Vermont harvest. Here are some other Zucchini/Garlic recipes that might ease your abundance:
Garlic Scapes, Zucchini, Corn, and Ginger Fried Rice
Grilled Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon Butter Baste
Roasted Zucchini with Garlic
Kathy Gunst’s Chilled Zucchini Soup from “Zucchini the Orphan of the Vegetable World” merits full exposure here:
Make the soup several hours ahead of time to leave time to chill properly.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds zucchini, chopped
1/3 cup white wine
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Optional: 12 cup cream, creme fraiche or yogurt
In a large pot heat half the oil and add the onion, over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper, the chives and half the basil. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, raise the heat to high, and let cook about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, and cook over low heat, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Remove from heat and add remaining basil.
Puree in a blender or food processor and add to a large bowl. Chill for several hours. Serve cold with a dollop of cream, creme fraiche or yogurt. Serves 8
Zucchini’s proclivity for profusion is known far and wide: A Google search for “how to give away zucchini” yields almost 3 Million results; Garrison Keillor says that this season is the only time of year when country people lock their cars in the church parking lot, so people won’t leave gifts of zucchini on the front seats; Free Zucchini lines the back roads of Vermont.
National Garlic Day is April 19th. Mark your calendars…You wont have to lock your cars.
image credit: simplyrecipes.com