Zucchini

State legislators are preparing to return to Harrisburg, still fearful of the fallout in the November elections from the pay-raise scandal. We take you now to the backyard of State Sen. Seymour Boon, who has ventured cautiously to his fence for a chat with his neighbor, a fellow named Burgess . . . Sen. Boon: Morning, neighbor! Burgess: Morning, senator! Senator: So you're talking to me again? What a relief. I was worried that you were still mad about the pay raise. Burgess: Oh, I'm still plenty mad. But we're neighbors.

When zucchini is cooked plain, it's a very dull vegetable. But when you add a dash of olive oil, a sprinkling of fresh mint and basil, and a dusting of grated lemon zest, you transform a boring vegetable into one of good taste. Toss this revitalized zucchini with the butterfly-shaped pasta called farfalle, and you have a dish of grace and harmony. Matching the sauce with the pasta shape is very important. In this case, delicate slices of barely wilted zucchini are a perfect match for the dainty butterfly wings of the cooked farfalle.

Skim milk, low-fat cheeses, buttermilk and yogurt are all relatively low in calories. The calcium content of these lean low-fat dairy foods gives them added "health food" appeal. Calcium helps regulate blood pressure and promotes bone growth. Hypertension and osteoporosis are ailments much on the mind of today's maturing population, so dairy foods aren't just kidstuff. However, the high animal fat content of full-fat cheeses puts them off limits for cholesterol-watchers. Today we share a slim idea made with low-fat cheese and other lean dairy ingredients.

When farm-market managers in Pennsylvania gathered about five years ago to discuss strategy, the folks from the Easton Farmers' Market, one of America's oldest, came with a PowerPoint presentation and focused on their biggest attraction - zucchini racing. More than 1,000 people go to Easton every year to watch zucchini racing, they said, so Sandy Guzikowski of Guzikowski Farms in Lower Makefield went home from that meeting and built a zucchini track. The Lower Makefield Farmers' Market opened in the summer of 2007 and even got the local member of Congress to come to the inaugural race.

Summer without zucchini? Impossible! Low in calories and inexpensive, yellow or green zucchini is tender and mild-tasting, accepting of many herbs and seasonings. Sauteed, stir-fried, steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, pickled, preserved, or sliced or grated raw in salads, this is one versatile veggie. Thus, if you have an excess of zucchini on hand, think of it not as too much of a good thing, but as good fortune. Zucchini is easily camouflaged - all but invisible when used in unexpected ways such as hidden in plain sight in a colorful pasta dish, disguised in pizza, or concealed as the secret ingredient in a moist tea bread, recipes for which accompany this article.

Zucchini is the hamster of the vegetable world. Ever try keeping two hamsters because just one might be lonely? Of course, you asked the pet shop to be sure they were both male or both female. But likely, within weeks, you leaned the pet shop worker had made a mistake. Similarly, have you ever tried to raise just enough zucchini for your family needs? In either case - hamsters or zucchini - you probably soon had more than enough to share with friends, neighbors and casual acquaintances.

Zucchini is the Cinderella of the vegetable world. Unadorned, it has little appeal. Serve it raw in a salad and it isn't noteworthy. But have faith. Like a lot of unflashy things, zucchini will reward those who recognize its potential and treat it well. Italians saute it with garlic and olive oil. The flesh becomes tender, and the flavor is transformed from bland to sweet and buttery, although still mild. For more than a subtle change, Italian cooks match zucchini with robust ingredients such as sausage, red wine and provolone.

I know people like to eat zucchini raw, but I think it tastes like a cucumber that didn't get enough rain. Of course, that's only my opinion. But cooked, it becomes sweet, pulpy and very enjoyable. Like mushrooms and eggplant, zucchini is better with other vegetables than it is alone. Tomatoes, garlic and onions are natural partners to zucchini as the French vegetable melange ratatouille deliciously proves. Zucchini's delicate taste also goes well with seafood. It doesn't overwhelm it. The following recipe borrows a little from ratatouille and from the seafood stew bouillabaisse, to produce a scallop, zucchini and tomato sauce.

When a friend showed up recently with a huge box full of beautiful, organically grown zucchinis to share with the staff, we were grateful and thanked her profusely - even though we wondered how we could possibly use this much zucchini. The problem is that people don't seem able to grow just enough zucchini for their own use. In fact, zucchini crops are so prolific that entire cookbooks have been written about the vegetable. But zucchini is only one of several wonderful summer squashes.

Anyone who has ever grown the leggy, always-abundant squash understands the need for Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neigbor's Porch Night. You have so much of the stuff, you don't know what to do with it. Tom Roy knows. The Mount Gretna, Pa., resident, who grew up in Hatboro, created the holiday after one zucchini handshake too many. (You know: "Hi there. Here's a zucchini. ") The holiday was celebrated across the country last night - the official Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night, according to Chase's 1998 Calendar of Events, the bible of event and observance information.

A reader lamented that she had never been able to find a vegetable soup that comes close to Coral Tree Cafe's in Southern California . "I know they must have a secret ingredient in there that gives it that extra something special! With fall here, I would love to make this soup at home," wrote the reader. Coral Tree Cafe was happy to share its vegetable soup recipe, which we've adapted below. Enjoy!   Coral Tree Cafe Vegetable Soup Makes 8 to 10 servings 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups diced carrots 2 cups diced onions 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 3/4 cup pearl barley 1 quart vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce 2 cups quartered mushrooms 2 cups diced zucchini Salt and pepper 1. Heat a medium, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then add the carrots, onions, bell pepper, thyme, and barley.

This is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat.   Craig LaBan: It's been a rewarding week on the drink-and-dine trail for me. I also had a chance to cook this weekend for the first time in a while: lamb and chicken kebabs (just dusted with exotic ras el hanout spice mix and slathered with chermoula cilantro paste), served over fluffy couscous with a zucchini-chickpea ragout stewed in a spicy tomato-zucchini broth. When I was on the hunt for ingredients at the Reading Terminal, absolute mobs clogged the aisles and lunch counters (you'd think the pork sandwich at DiNic's was the Liberty Bell . . .)

This palm-sized peeler has three rotating blades, so with a flick of your wrist, you can julienne carrots or create fancy zucchini ribbons that would make a culinary school instructor proud.   - Ashley Primis Joseph Joseph Rotary Peeler, $12 at Sur La Table, the Promenade, 500 Route 73 S., Marlton, 856-797-0098, and King of Prussia Mall, 484-612-0040, josephjoseph.com.

When farm-market managers in Pennsylvania gathered about five years ago to discuss strategy, the folks from the Easton Farmers' Market, one of America's oldest, came with a PowerPoint presentation and focused on their biggest attraction - zucchini racing. More than 1,000 people go to Easton every year to watch zucchini racing, they said, so Sandy Guzikowski of Guzikowski Farms in Lower Makefield went home from that meeting and built a zucchini track. The Lower Makefield Farmers' Market opened in the summer of 2007 and even got the local member of Congress to come to the inaugural race.

Question: I'm worried that I'm stuck in a pattern - every guy I've dated seriously has turned out to be what you could nicely call a fixer-upper. They seem OK, but the issues don't really come out until well after I'm invested in the relationship. I am too old (32) for wasting time - what is the best way to avoid getting into relationships with these people in the first place? How should I "tune my antennae" to spot trouble early and run? Answer: This is interesting, because when you say that "every" guy is a fixer-upper, that leaves room for interpretation.

Before martinis got all silly and the advent of oxymoronic sports bars, there was the Happy Rooster, a gem of a hideaway at the corner of 16th and Sansom, its bar warm Brazilian rosewood, its aspect buttoned-down and, in the '60s, perfectly scripted for a Mad Man. It was run as something of a private preserve by a romantic Francophile by the name of Abe "Doc" Ulitsky, and not only were jackets required, but ties as well, and unescorted women were...

We accidentally grew a seven-pound zucchini in our backyard. I checked the garden before we left for vacation and it was very small, not even close to picking size. But when we returned, it was huge. So huge, in fact, that my son wanted to know how much it weighed. He ran upstairs, weighed himself, and then weighed himself with the zucchini. He bounded back down the steps, and proclaimed: "Mom, it weighs seven pounds!" We all had a good laugh, whereupon my husband, realizing it was the approximate weight of our daughter at birth, cradled it like a baby.

Refresh yourself with these two cool salads on a warm summer evening. Use all-white Italian canned tuna for the first salad, if that's within your budget. In the second, the juices from fresh parsley help release the flavor of dried oregano.   Tuscan Tuna and Bean Salad 1. Rinse and drain the beans. Place in a serving bowl and add the onion. 2. Drain the tuna and break into large flakes. Add to the beans. Add dressing, a little pepper to taste, and half the parsley.

Dinner preparation has been a bully this summer - demanding attention, getting in my face, challenging me to show my stuff when I'm in vacation mode. This is a new experience. I imagined I'd always gleefully try exotic and complicated recipes at least three times a week. I never really understood people who view cooking as a chore rather than a creative outlet. Now I get it. At about 6 p.m. since the official start of summer, I've regularly thought: "Oh, no. I have to figure out what to make - again.

State legislators are preparing to return to Harrisburg, still fearful of the fallout in the November elections from the pay-raise scandal. We take you now to the backyard of State Sen. Seymour Boon, who has ventured cautiously to his fence for a chat with his neighbor, a fellow named Burgess . . . Sen. Boon: Morning, neighbor! Burgess: Morning, senator! Senator: So you're talking to me again? What a relief. I was worried that you were still mad about the pay raise. Burgess: Oh, I'm still plenty mad. But we're neighbors.