Difficulty Level Easy

This is the time of year when friends and neighbors come to you wild-eyed, proffering the massive overflow of zucchini from their gardens. It's been such a wet summer here in Ontario, that I think we'll have a real bumper crop. It's too late to tell those friends that they should have sacrificed a few vegetables by cooking the blossoms, so just be polite and take all the zucchini they want to offload.

The great thing about zucchini is that you can cook it in so many different ways and use it any time of day. Make a simple pasta, stir-fry it, make bread or muffins, put it in a frittata, make ratatouille or use it as a substitute for potatoes when making latkes. I often toss it into the pot when I'm making a vegetable soup.

With this soup, the zucchini takes the lead. This recipe is actually vegan, but you would swear there was cream in the soup, the texture was so silky. The soup was delicious the first day, and even better the day after. If it's a really hot day, go ahead and eat it cold. Being at the cottage, doing the julienne of the skin seemed way too much like work, so I simply omitted that step. It's really as much an issue of presentation as taste and honestly, my husband doesn't care. I think a garnish of yogurt or light sour cream would be just as nice.

INGREDIENTS