RECIPE: Charred Zucchini Soup with Yogurt and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

3 lbs. slender green zucchini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

2 medium size red onions

7 cups homemade vegetable broth

3 tablespoons arborio rice

1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, chopped

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups Greek-style yogurt

Fruity green olive oil

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Wash and trim zucchini and cut into spears, then toss with a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt. Spread on large baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice. You want the zucchini to be soft, shrunker, and blackened in spots.

2. Peel onions, cut them in half crosswise, then into 1/2 inch wedges. Cook onions in a skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle of salt over medium heat, stirring often, until onions are soft and dark brown in places, approx. 1/2 hour.

3. In a large soup pot, combine the broth and rice. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Chop the zucchini and add it to the broth, along with the onion and mint. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice until the soup has a faintly tart edge. Add black pepper, and additional salt to taste. Gently bring the soup back to a simmer. To serve, put a rounded tablespoon of drained yogurt in the center of each bowl. then ladle the soup over it. Drizzle olive oil over each serving and scatter pine nuts on top.

Submitted by Seth Burroughs