The Lame Chef: Zucchini Olive Oil Soup with Lemon Grass and Basil

This past weekend I was struck down by a bout of food poisoning. No bueno. For the first recovery day I consumed nothing but flat ginger ale and saltine crackers. The second day: coconut water and brioche buns. If that sounds decadent it was; remember, I live in Venice, where brioche buns grow on trees and coconut water sells out at gas station convenient stores. I know... The third day, I excitedly added, to my repertoire, a can of Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup, having almost forgotten what it was to eat. I believe they refer to this as a Kate Moss State of Being.

Needless to say, I hydrated and went to work a couple of pounds lighter, only to realize how darned hungry I was at the end of the day, sorry Kate. Unfortunately, cooking all day at the restaurant does not tempt one to fire-up the stove at home, but with so much farmers market veg in my fridge, I found myself guilted into cooking and pulled out the cutting board, turned on my iPod, Otis, thank you... and threw on my favorite ruffled apron for a simple, pleasurable, super fast feast of a zucchini and olive oil soup. I had plump round zucchini and basil; and beautiful stalks of lemon grass a friend had given me to make a pot of tea-- perfect ingredients. Besides, what could be a kinder entree back into the world of eating than a warm bowl of summer squash soup and toast?

Soup's on!

Zucchini Olive Oil Soup with Lemon Grass and Basil

makes two big bowls

4 round zucchini or 3 long zucchini

two inches of lemon grass

4 basil leaves

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper

The technique is a no-brainer: slice the squash and dice the lemon grass and toss it in a small sauce pan with a few leaves of basil. Add a heavy pour of extra virgin olive oil and a light pour of cold water; and cover over medium heat for ten minutes. Once cooked, pour into a blender, careful to seal the lid tightly with a protective dish towel, and puree. Season with salt and pepper and pour into a warm bowl.

And don't forget to toast your toast, doused with good olive oil. Scratch it with a garlic clove and you're done.

Here we go...

once you've sliced the zucchini...