Roasted Zucchini Bisque

Yep.

Another recipe attempt at proving zucchini can work in any way, shape, or form, and you know what? This veggie has been working overtime in my kitchen for the cause. Thankfully, soup is kind of the easiest medium there is, and I was able to create this recipe on the fly, using up not one, not two, but three of those lovely veggies begging to be used from my garden. 

Usually when I hear of people using up zucchinis from the garden in mass quantities, I hear the words chocolate zucchini bread fly out of their mouths at the drop of a hat. In my opinion, chocolate and veggies together kind of makes me angry at the universe. I'm not saying zucchini bread is gross, just chocolate zucchini bread. I bet there are recipe out there that totally rock, but this gal isn't going for it. 

It's kind of like making me eat pickles. Everyone and their dog loves it, but darn it, it 'aint happening in the blondie kitchen for a second. 

Now that I've lost half my pickle-and-chocolate-zucchini-bread-loving readers, let's read on about this velvety bowl of heaven, shall we? 

If you make enough soup, you kind of develop this "road map" for how it's supposed to go down. You saute up some onions, garlic, (the meat if you're using some) and sometimes carrots and celery, toss in the stars of the soup (whatever veggie or flavor that may be), add in the cooking liquid, simmer, and either leave it as it is or puree it up with some creamy goodness. 

This was just about the same, except for one thing: I roasted up those little lovers before sending them on their simmering journey to bisque perfection. It added a really beautiful depth of flavor to the soup, almost a grilled smokey taste. It tasted amazing with the parmesan cheese and a bit of crusty bread. Definitely a beautiful way to eat up all that crazy zucchini around harvest time this summer. 

Roasted Zucchini Bisque 

makes 4 servings

ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, cubed

EVOO

salt and pepper

roasted red pepper

2 T butter, saute

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced 

32 oz chicken broth

1/2 C half & half 

parmesan cheese for serving 

method:

1. Preheat oven to broil, prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together chopped zucchini, a drizzle of oil, a little salt and pepper, and 1/2 t roasted red pepper. With a rubber spatula, scrape out all the zucchini, oil, and seasonings onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until zucchini is roasted brown, about 1 minute at a time before stirring to roast the other side. Remove roasted zucchini from oven and set aside. 

2. In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat, add onion and garlic, and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Toss in roasted zucchini and stir for a minute. Pour in chicken broth, cover, and bring to a boil, then down to a simmer for 10 minutes. 

3. With an immersion blender or blender, puree soup until very fine. Return soup to the pot, add in half and half (add in more if you want it more creamy), and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until warm. Serve with parmesan cheese. 

recipe source: Baking with Blondie