Easy recipes to make when you have too much zucchini

Friends and neighbors often grace our front stoop with bags of homegrown zucchini. At summer gatherings, a frequently heard complaint concerns the quantity of zucchini a garden produces. I say, deal with the bounty by equipping the cook with repeat-worthy recipes.

First, consider stuffed zucchini: a dish that works with sizes from small to not-too-large. Tender shells, stuffed with a vegetable, fresh herb and cheese filling, make a mid-summer meal that tastes great hot from the oven, at room temperature as part of a potluck, or chilled for transporting to picnics.

The real trick to any stuffed vegetable involves a simple par-bake of the vegetable shells before filling. This ensures that all is tender when the stuffing reaches peak heat.

The stuffing that follows relies on more of summer