i wish i could say i was done with tomatoes. they seem to be a reoccurring theme in my life. they are everywhere…and then you happen to bump into this at the farmers market.

that is Pascale Le Draoulec, farmers market guru and author of American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads (and the soup right before i blended it)

really, what can you say about that other then what is that?

it’s a zucchini. a real zucchini. and if you are at my farmers market on wednesday go over to madura and take a look yourself. this is all real, i’m not making it up, i promise. it’s not alien, even though i think it might be, it’s real (yes, only i would think it’s alien, but if you do too, please leave a comment so i know i’m not crazy, my husband thinks i have officially lost it).

you might be wondering right now, what does it taste like? can you eat it? or is this something you walk around the farmers market wearing around your neck?

this snake zucchini (yes, google it, it is really the name) tastes like a regular old zucchini (and officially it’s not an alien, or a zombie, although it might be a zombie zucchini. ok probably not). it is officially called a snake zucchini. i was told to peel the skin, and use it as you would. so that’s what i did. i split it in 3. yes 3, because look how large it is.

i introduced zucchini fries. my kids will eat anything that has fries in it (or is fried, really i just wanted fried zucchini). and then i thought…what do i do now? and the boy said soup…

light, flavorful, pretty, summery…summer soup with a very popular vegetable that is in season right now. so what are you waiting for? go, run…if you have extra zucchini laying around, are heading to the market, or just have to much to handle and have it had it with fried zucchini (who are you?)  this is the perfect summer soup.

 summery zucchini basil soup

  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 chili pepper chopped (optional)
  • 2 stalks of celery chopped
  • 3 large zucchini (or 3/4 of a snake zucchini)
  • 1 cup chopped basil
  • 3 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup cream (optional)
  1. in a dutch oven saute onion, chili pepper, garlic and celery in about 2 tbl oil (i use canola). after onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes, add zucchini and basil and a pinch of salt and pepper. saute for another 5-10 minutes until zucchini starts to soften.
  2. add stock and mix. bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.
  3. at this point you blend, or if you are like me, you take your immersion blender and you be careful not to burn anyone or make a giant mess. blend to your desired consistency, i like to leave some lumps. add cream or if you are diary free just enjoy.

just a note: you can find Pascale’s book on amazon (see link here).

happy friday!

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