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You've got zucchini, we've got recipes

Although zucchini is the most humble of vegetables -- and no fashionista like its more premium counterparts such as asparagus and artichokes -- it has plenty of gardening and dining fans.

If your garden is overflowing with a wealth of zucchini and you can't share your bounty fast enough, challenge yourself to serve it in some ingenious, interesting ways. There are an amazing number of possibilities -- including a few shared by Los Angeles area restaurants.

Ever thought of zucchini carpaccio, zucchini noodles, zucchini hummus or zucchini salsa?

You can stuff zucchini with a variety of meat or poultry mixtures, stir-fry or roast it or shred it and top with fresh tomato or jarred pasta sauce, slip it into meatloaf or coleslaw or bake it in chocolate or cream cheese cake and bread. Even slice it up for zucchini parmigiana or lasagna.

At the five-month-old Fig & Olive Melrose Place restaurant in West Hollywood, an innovative zucchini carpaccio creation is a signature appetizer. Designed by executive chef Pascal Lorange, it features thin overlapping slices of zucchini drizzled or "cooked" with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing, then sprinkled with pine nuts, fleur de sel, freshly cracked black pepper and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. With its light flavor, it can be easily re-created by home cooks.

To make it, "we use normal green house zucchini about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter and about nine to 12 inches long with bright green skin," notes Mitchel Ramos, the restaurant's chef de cuisine.

"Use a mandoline to get even (very thin) cuts of zucchini," he suggests. You can use a knife, but you'll end up with uneven slices. Arrange the zucchini slices, slightly overlapping, on white serving plates, cover and refrigerate a maximum of three to four hours before adding the toppings and serving.

The restaurant also features baby zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise, in a sauteed vegetable medley with thinly sliced fennel, chick peas, heirloom cherry tomatoes, manzanilla olives and oregano. Coated with mojo (mint, citrus) and oregano olive oil, it's served alongside a flatiron-seared salmon filet in an Andalusian-style fish selection.

At home, Ramos, a Puerto Rican native who has worked in restaurants in Asia and Palm Desert, says, "I usually pickle zucchini (cut in strips) lightly with sugar and rice wine vinegar (figure about 1/3 cup granulated sugar to 2/3 cup rice vinegar, depending on amount of zucchini)." Add a touch of soy sauce for salty flavor, if desired. Let the zucchini sit in the solution in the fridge 45 to 60 minutes and it's ready to eat. "You can reuse the solution (for another batch of pickles), but only once," he advises.

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