Zucchini

Lucy Stahley of Baltimore wanted a recipe for Zucchini Pie, noting that she had heard it was great, tasted like apples, and she always had a surplus of zucchini. Her response came from Beatrice Parks of Harvard, Ill., who wrote, "We love it. Use large zucchini but still tender enough that you can pierce the skin easily with your thumbnail. Peel, cut in quarters lengthwise, remove the seeds and slice crosswise." Zucchini Pie Serves 8 4 cups (about 3 medium) zucchini sliced and steamed until tender-crisp 2 tablespoons lemon juice dash of salt 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups sugar, depending on sweetness preference 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar dash of nutmeg 3 tablespoons flour 1 (9-inch)

When it comes to battling the squash vine borers, you win a few and you lose a few. This year, the borers won big. They stomped me. If these critters get into your garden, they live up to their name. The larvae bore their way into the vines of your squash and zucchini plants and suck out the juice of the plants faster than barflies toss down margaritas at happy hour. Every year, I match wits with squash vine borers. I play hide-and-seek by planting the vines in different spots in the garden.

"Less is more" is a philosophy I heartily embrace when cooking today, but it was not always so. In the early days of my culinary career, I thought nothing of making recipes that included two pages of ingredients. No dish was too complicated to undertake, no technique too difficult to try. Oh, how times have changed. I still love good food, but I have much less time to devote to cooking today, so I am always on the lookout for simple dishes filled with robust taste. Nowhere is food simpler yet more intensely flavored than in Provence, and on a recent visit there, I realized again how uncomplicated yet delicious the dishes from this region of France are. The memories of such modest, unpretentious fare were in my mind when I was trying to decide what to take to a potluck supper last week.

When summer heat and humidity diminish appetites, consider making a meal of light, refreshing "sides." The following duo of side dishes -- a Gruyere-topped zucchini and tomato gratin, a cooling tabbouleh with extra vegetables can be served soon after they're prepared or chilled and served the next day or so, when their flavors have melded. A boon for picnics and cookouts, these side dishes all travel well. Serve this classic summer medley warm or cold as a side dish for grilled foods, or with an assortment of other side dishes.

Anne Willan is one of the best cooking teachers around; her La Varenne cooking school in France is legendary. She has had a PBS cooking series, and she has published more than a dozen well-regarded books. But still, almost no one in the United States seems to know who she is. That is a shame, and yet, leafing through her newest book, "From My Chateau Kitchen" (Clarkson Potter, $45), it is difficult to work up too much sympathy. After all, if one must labor in semi-obscurity (or, more accurately, less-than-celebrity)

Those must-eat vegetables on your dinner plate don't have to be a boring, bland part of your evening meal. As a matter of fact, they could be the most tempting, palate-stimulating portion of your supper. Preparing fresh vegetables with Mediterranean flavors and cooking methods is a delicious way to work more nutrients and fiber into your diet while making dinner a more interesting culinary adventure. Begin with an assortment of vegetables intrinsic to Mediterranean cuisine, such as baby artichokes, zucchini, eggplant, fava beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic.

Ratatouille, that classic Provencal combination of eggplant, tomatoes, onions and zucchini, is one of my favorite dishes to use when entertaining. This dish actually improves in flavor when made one to two days ahead. The entire preparation can be cooked in advance and simply needs to be heated at serving time. Or, if you prefer, it's delicious served at room temperature. Another benefit of using ratatouille when cooking for company is that the recipe can be doubled or tripled easily when you want to invite a large crowd.

THE FULL, tragic impact of the drought struck home like a thunderbolt recently when Doug Lamborne informed me that yes, he has no zucchini.Here it is, early September, a season when the backyard gardeners around Eastport usually are scrambling to dump their bumper crops of zucchini on any sucker who will take them by the bagful, and it seems there are none on the whole peninsula.I've been reeling from the implications of the loss since Doug strode by my office on Second Street, carrying a mere paper cupful of green jalapeno peppers, a little orange habanero and a teeny red cherry tomato -- the surplus harvest of his usually dependably verdant Third Street garden.

A handy spoon for yogurt eatersIn the "why-didn't-somebody-think-of-this-before" category, Colombo has attached a snap-out plastic spoon in the lids of its 8-ounce yogurt containers. The two-piece spoon is easy to pop out and assemble, and extremely handy. No more frantically searching for a utensil.Being neighborly with zucchiniIf zucchini is taking over your garden and kitchen, help is on the way. Sunday is "Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night." Really. Thomas Roy, an avid gardener in Mount Gretna, Pa., started the celebration several years ago. Now, it's catching on around the country.

I am always on the lookout for new starters, and last week I developed a new hors d'oeuvre in a serendipitous way. I decided to grill lamb chops and serve them with roasted zucchini slices topped with goat cheese and a sprinkling of parsley, mint and lemon zest. But when I pulled the zucchini from the oven, I realized that they were the perfect size to be served as appetizers. These nibbles can be prepared in advance and will only need to be heated at serving time. Zucchini Croutons With Goat Cheese, Parsley and MintServes 6 to 8 1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (3 to 4 zucchini)