Zucchini harvest begins

The zucchini harvest has begun with vines sprawling across the garden beds loaded with blossoms hinting at the bounteous crop we can look forward to.

The first zucchini of the season

Our favorite recipe for using zucchini over the years has to be the zucchini casserole recipe
 from my roommate, Pat,when I was a graduate student at UC Berkeley

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

1 1/2 lbs. zucchini

1 small onion, chopped

2 T. butter

4 oz. can diced mild green chilies

3 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg

1 c. cottage cheese

2 T. minced parsley

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Slice zucchini and combine with onion and butter in a skillet.  Saute until tender.  Mix in drained chilies, flour, salt, and pepper.  Turn into a 9" pie plate or shallow baking dish (1 1/2").  Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.  Mix egg, cottage cheese, and parsley and spoon over top.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes or until just hot in the center.