Zucchini

Zucchini were, in the past, the quintessential Italian summer vegetable: Tiny, flavorful baby zucchini and their flowers would appear in the markets in mid-spring, to be joined by larger zucchini by early summer, and all three remained a fixture of the Italian table throughout the rest of the summer months. In many ways the situation is unvaried today; though hothouses have made zucchini available year-round, those that ripen during the summer are much more flavorful than the force-grown varieties, and consequently Italians buy zucchini primarily in the summer.

Zucchini are the basis for all sorts of dishes, from pasta sauces to main courses. As a general rule you should select the smallest possible zucchini that can be used for the recipe, because larger zucchini are less flavorful and can have bitter overtones. The round variety is especially suited for stuffing, though the elongate ones will also work well.

Zucchini are perishable, so buy only as many as you need. Come time to cook them, wash them, pat them dry, and trim off the ends (especially the stem end). If they're small there should be no need to remove the seeds. There's another advantage to buying baby zucchini, especially in an Italian market: They often come with flowers attached. If the flowers are in good condition, a glorious yellow with green ribs (no brown discoloration and no wilting) they're delightful fried. Indeed, many Italians prefer them to the vegetable.

Zucchini flowers are one case where less really is more; they're extremely delicate, and will be overpowered by almost any addition you make to them. Just rinse them (if they need it), pat them dry, dredge them in a lightly salted egg-and-flour batter, and fry them in abundant oil; remove them to absorbent paper to drain once they're golden brown, dust them to taste with a little salt, and serve. Their only defect is that they have a way of vanishing off the platter.