What to do with a ton of Zucchini

Okay, fine, I don't literally have 2,000 pounds of zucchini, but I have been having a hard time keeping up with all the fresh zucchini from my garden lately. Not that that's a bad thing, of course! I love zucchini - as bread, in stir fries and sautés, in zucchini pancakes, you name it! But I do get tired of the same old recipes, so when I found this one for soup, it definitely caught my interest. 

Now, I know it's beyond hot outside. Soup is probably low on most people's list this time of year. But this one is so good it's worth making in the heat (especially if you work in an over-air conditioned building like me... yay leftovers!) It's delicate and lemony, and the addition of fresh basil at the end makes it taste like summer.

I should probably tell you a few things about this soup. First, I used a vegetable stock. You could certainly buy this, but I prefer to make my own and freeze several quarts at a time. I'll do a post on it next time I make a batch, but if you want to give it a try, there's a recipe here. Also, I used a mandolin and an immersion blender when making this soup, although you could certainly use a knife and a regular blender if you don't have these. Having injured myself with both (not with the soup, and not at the same time), please be very careful if you use either, and keep your fingers away. I'm also a fan of using this with the mandolin. So now that I've given you a disclaimer, on to the recipe!

Zucchini Basil Soup, from Memories in the Baking (http://memoriesinthebaking.blogspot.com/2011/07/zucchini-basil-soup.html)

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini 

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons butter 

4 cups vegetable stock

1 large handful fresh basil, washed

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Salt & pepper to taste 
½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan, optional

Melt the butter on medium heat in a large pot. Using a mandolin, slice the onion and zucchini. Sauté chopped onion in butter until soft, then add the zucchini and vegetable stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the basil and lemon juice. Purée using an immersion blender (Or allow the soup to cool a bit and do this step in several batches using a regular blender). Stir in the cream, and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat to simmering (but be sure not to boil the cream or it may curdle), and serve with Parmesan cheese, croutons, or bread.


Makes enough for 2 meal-sized servings or 4 appetizers.