Last evening we stopped by a friend’s on ‘chicken business’ and were invited to drinks on the terrace. (Don’t you love summer?) I noticed a giant zucchini on the doorstep and our friend bemoaned her struggle of keeping up with them. After a brief discusssion of zucchini recipes I mentioned that the Cheddar, Herb, Zucchini Bread recipe that I follow from The All New Joy of Cooking is delicious, freezes well and is even more delicious when toasted and served with soup or salad. Sometimes, I make it in mini-loaf pans and then slice it thinly and use it in lieu of crackers on a cheese plate. I tend to use whatever fresh herbs I happen to have in the garden at the time. The recipe calls for dill and parsley but I often use basil, sage, oregano, thyme or a combination of these. One year I made (and froze) so many of these that I used them for a Thanksgiving stuffing..it was very good. This quickbread is extraordinarily versatile, you can substitute some cornmeal or whole wheat flour for some of the all purpose flour,,play around with it and make it your own.

I give the recipe here, and hope I’m not infringing on copyrights:

Zucchini Cheddar Bread

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

3 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Add and toss to separate and coat with flour:

1 cup coarsely shredded zucchini

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped scallions

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill ( I always add twice as much)

Whisk together in another bowl:

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (which I never have, I add a tablespoon of lemon juice to skim milk as a substitute)

4 tablespoons warm melted butter or vegetable oil

Add to the flour mixture and mix with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix; the batter should be somewhat lumpy. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool for  5 or 10 minutes on a rack before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.