I watched and enjoyed that battle, and am in accord with Michael Ruhlman's opinion of zucchini. I haven't bought any in a long time, primarily because my family refuses to eat it, but I got a few ideas from the show. But looking at your soup recipe reminded me of a dish I invented years ago, when I grew a large garden and always had way too much zucchini to deal with. It was basically vichyssoise with zucchini added so I called it vichy-squash. I haven't made it in years, but it was potatoes, leeks, onions, a little garlic, zucchini and chicken broth (or water) cooked until soft, then pureed and served cold with some fresh herbs, like chives, basil or dill and some whole milk yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche.

Interesting topic...I had a soup at Market Salamander a few days ago that was very similar to the one linked in cjsadler's post (Zucchini Basil Soup). It was good but didn't have a whole lot of flavor beyond the mild flavor of the basil - I though it needed lemon juice or something else acidic to give it a little punch. Maybe a 95-degree July day wasn't the best time to try this either - I wondered how it would have been as a cold soup.

I personally look forward to zucchini season because it's one of my favorite things to throw on the grill. I slice zucchini lengthwise in 1/4-1/2 inch strips, throw on a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt , let it all sit for a few minutes and then grill until tender. Yellow squash is usually part of the mix. So simple and so yummy! Always gets compliments when served and is good as cold leftovers too.

I also really like the chocolate zucchini cake recipe that can be found in the attachment linked here (see page 35). The zucchini mostly adds moisture to the cake (along with some nutritional value I would hope) and virtually melts so unless people are told they wouldn't even notice it.

I have not personally verified this, but it makes sense: the smaller the zuch is the tastier -- according to some food sage I once read. Many people who grow their own wait until the squashes are baseball bat sized before they harvest them and then find them quite tasteless. The blossoms themselves are the tastiest of all, n'est-ce pas?

I concur with the "so simple and so yummy" part, but I tend to like to associate the yummy part with adding zucchini & squash to homemade lasagna. There's a certain fresh bite it gives to the lasagna that is comforting and healthy feeling.

One zucchini recipe that I'm always afraid to try or taste is zucchini bread. People rave about it, but this is one combination I can't get my head wrapped around...

You're missing out! Do you like banana bread? It's a very similar kind of sweet bread - just without the bananas. Again, the zucchini adds some moisture but no real detectable flavor (or at least not an unpleasant one).

I'll have to give your lasagna idea a try!

Last year I made pseudo crab cakes from grated zucchini that came out rather well, I'm going to attempt them again one of these days.

I was surprised to learn zucchini are a 19th-century invention and you gotta wonder what was behind that. Perhaps the desire was to scale down bloated marrows and make them more visually appealing.

I have grown to dislike zucchini in stewed preparations, e.g., the traditional stove-top (vs. oven-bound) ratatouille. However, I swear the vegetable has flavor when roasted or sautéed for a very long time, the latter at low temperature in olive oil w lots of garlic and a few red chili flakes until white flesh turns golden and big round disks shrink to the size of coins. Splash of red wine vinegar, slivers of mint. Toss with pasta. (Roman tradition.)

Like eggplant, the watery vegetable soaks up flavors of added ingredients and retains them, but intense heat combined w oil coaxes out its intrinsic flavors, too.

Also like running long slivers, slathered w olive oil, under broiled to approximate the effect of a grill. Turn. Layer in glass or ceramic casserole w slivers of garlic and torn basil leaves and pop in fridge overnight. Return to room temperature.

Heavenly when quartered length-wise, dipped in light batter and deep-fried. Love fritters, too, but in this case, the shredded zucchini, even if salted and squeezed, don't seem to impart much taste.

I used to love ordering this as an appetizer in restaurants when I was a kid. It seemed to be pretty common in the 80's, usually served with a honey-mustard type dipping sauce.

I love zucchini brushed with olive oil, seasoned with sea salt & oregano and grilled. Or in a skillet "hash" with sausage & peppers, or with yellow squash, milk & cheese in squash gratin. And one of my recent favorites (but least healthy!), shredded in pasta alfredo. The gratin and pasta recipes have also proven very kid-friendly.