Iced Zucchini Bisque: Turning excess into dinner

The impending zucchini season caused me to try some new creations for using some of the green tide. I was inspired to work on these recipes by my editor at the newspaper, who is both a Community-Supported Agriculture ("CSA") member and married to a gardener.

In the course of working up a newspaper column for mid-summer dealing with zucchini, I came up with a cold soup, suggested by my recall of a cold cucumber soup from years ago.

Although I had never tasted such a soup made with zucchini, I found out after the fact through Google that the idea isn't original. (The recipes I found there were with raw zucchini.) But then, as Ecclesiastes has it in the Old Testament, "there is nothing new under the sun." At least my other recent creation, roasted zucchini hummus (see my blog posting of 6/21/09), does not have similar recipes in Google.

So here is a cold soup that can use some of your excess zucchini. The recipe serves six. It needs to be made ahead and chilled well before serving.

Iced Zucchini Bisque

1 1/2 pounds young zucchini (with small, soft seeds)
1 medium-large potato
1 small onion
1/2 stick celery
1 clove garlic
2 large bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt plus to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Small pinch cayenne or small piece of hot pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Minced parsley for garnish

Remove stem and brown tip from zucchini. Cut squash roughly into 1-inch pieces and place in a pot. Peel potato and onion, cut in chunks, and add to zucchini. Add celery, chopped, garlic, peeled and crushed, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cayenne, broth and water.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Let cool.

In blender thoroughly puree the soup mixture. Mix in milk and sour cream. Taste, and add salt as needed. Chill at least several hours, or up to a day.

Before serving, stir well, taste, and add salt, if needed.

Dust with minced parsley to serve.