Zucchini Soup

If, like me, you have recently discovered a frozen chunk of shredded zucchini in a ziplock bag in the back of your freezer, then this is your lucky day. This recipe, found in my seldom used Extending the Table cookbook, is warm and delicious for a winter's eve. I sauteed an onion and a clove of garlic in 4 T. of butter to begin, then added the shredded zucchini (still frozen, although I had taken it out of the freezer last night). Then I added a cup of water and a vegetable bullion cube. At this point the recipe says to "simmer 12 minutes" which, coincidently, was about the amount of time it took for the zucchini chunk to melt. To this, I added a dash of salt, and a bit of fresh ground pepper, and a healthy dose of basil, followed by 1/4 c. white wine. At this point, everything was poured into the blender and pureed. This made two servings, each served with a dollop of plain yogurt. The cookbook says to "serve with sandwiches and fresh fruit". James and I discovered that homemade skillet corn bread and a side of Easiest Cranberry Relish are also fine accompaniements to this soup. It was perfectly paired with the same wine I used in the recipe.