Zucchini

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this with crusty bread to soak up the delicious olive oil.

Torquato Innocenti, who sells his just-harvested, still-prickly zucchini — with flowers attached, a sure sign of freshness — offered me simple advice for the vegetable. Roast them whole in a "puddle" of oil and serve with basil. I bought a bag of his smallest (cigar-size) zucchini, pan-roasted them until browned sprinkled them with chopped basil — and loved the results. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Warm pita bread would make a delicious accompaniment to this dish.

Grilled zucchini adds extra flavor and texture to this light and pretty main course.

The perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken or meat. Try cooked bell peppers, mushrooms and onions over the coals, too.

This would be nice with any roasted meat.

Chef Jimmy Bradley's wonderfully simple combinations of texture and flavor at New York City's The Red Cat were the inspiration for this zucchini dish—it makes a great accompaniment to "lazy lasagne." Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

This is a colorful variation on the classic potato latke.