Just as zucchini season is wrapping up and more and more of the squash we get from the farm is early winter squash, I've found another summer squash recipe I love. This one, from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors, is for zucchini in particular, and makes a beautiful thick golden-green circle of an omelet. The texture is great and so is the flavor. It's frankly stuffed full of vegetables and yet I think it would make a splendid vehicle for slipping the green stuff to vegetable-averse types. The zucchini is not invisible by any means, but it's tamed, I'd say.

Marjoram is not an herb that everyone buys as a matter of course, but it really is excellent with zucchini. Please use fresh, as dry is not nice in this context. If you don't have a farmer's market where you can buy it, you should be able to find some in those little plastic containers of herbs they often have at the supermarket. If they don't have marjoram by itself, you may be able to get it as one of the herbs in a "poultry seasoning" mix. If you really can't find any, a mix of fresh basil and fresh oregano would probably be the best substitute.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 - 2 lbs zucchini, seeds removed
1 t. salt
5 or 6 eggs
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 T. marjoram
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
olive oil
pepper

TO DO
Grate the zucchini, toss it with the teaspoon of salt, and put it in a colander to exude its juices for half an hour. Then rinse it briefly and squeeze it between your hands to get out the excess liquid. You will wind up with a nice softball-sized lump of green stuff, or perhaps a softball plus a baseball.

Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large skillet and saute the zucchini until it is limp.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the garlic, marjoram, and parmesan. Dump in the zucchini. Wipe the skillet but don't bother washing it if it's the right sort of pan for making the frittata in. For some reason the pan I like to use for my frittatas never seems to work for cooking all that zucchini in, so I have to dirty two pans. Too bad for me -- if you can manage better, more power to you. Add freshly ground pepper and mix it all thoroughly.

Stir in the ricotta, leaving it a bit streaky. If you are daring, stick in a clean finger and taste the egg mixture. Add more salt or pepper if you need it, but the odds are that you will not.

Now cook this like any frittata: Heat a bit of oil in the bottom of a suitable pan (I like a heavy pan with a nonstick coating -- eggs are hell to clean up otherwise) and pour in the egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until it begins to set, then finish it up in either a hot oven (say, 400 degrees) or under the broiler.

This is good either hot or cold. I've been enjoying packing it in our lunch boxes.