Chocolate and zucchini - a match made in France

It's hard not to envy Clotilde Dusoulier. She's young (27), slim, pretty, French, a successful blogger and, as of quite recently, a published author. As her cookbook, "Chocolate & Zucchini" (Broadway Books, 2007), and her blog (chocolateandzucchini.com) illustrate, she's also an extremely accomplished cook. Not a show-off, but a home cook with a respect for good ingredients, a sense of adventure and a good deal of personal charm.

One of the most charming aspects of Clotilde's tale is that, growing up in France, she was actually something of a picky eater. By her own admission, she preferred plastic-wrapped Gruyere and white bread from the supermarket to the oozy, farmstead cheeses and artisan loaves that her parents enjoyed. Then she moved to the United States, and - who would have known? - discovered food.

Fortunately for Clotilde, her move - made after college - was to California, where there is a lot of food to be discovered. She hung out in supermarkets and gourmet shops, ethnic restaurants and the cookbook aisle of bookstores in San Francisco. She returned to France after two years fully alive to the wondrous, deep food culture there. She began cooking, blogging and - this year - cookbook writing. The result is one of those books that, after just a few days in the kitchen, is splotched with oil and dusted with flour and shelved with the other family favorites.

"Chocolate & Zucchini" - both blog and book - got its name, the author writes, to illustrate the two facets of her "cooking personality." The zucchini represents the healthy-eating side, the chocolate the sweet-loving side. The book, thankfully, contains more than just recipes for vegetables and desserts; there are plenty of meat, fish and poultry dishes as well.

I have yet to find a dud. The Absorption Pasta - which is pasta cooked in the manner of risotto - is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It was an instant success at a recent family dinner. I plan to try it next with asparagus and perhaps some prosciutto slivers or crisp pancetta; a search of the Web for "risotto-style pasta" turned up several interesting possibilities. The Chocolate & Zucchini cake is a standard at potluck dinners. Clotilde's version, with a bit of instant coffee added, is moist and deeply flavorful. To round out the chocolate/zucchini theme, I include a recipe for rich Zucchini Chocolate Crinkles from "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan and Andrea Chesman (Storey Publishing, 2002).

ABSORPTION PASTA

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water, plus more if needed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

14 ounces dried short pasta such as penne, fussili or ricciole

4 small zucchini, trimmed and cut into matchsticks

fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons cacao nibs (see note) toasted in a dry skillet, or 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

aged Parmesan, coarsely grated

Set the stock in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and bring almost to a boil. Keep hot as you continue with the recipe.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic and onions, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid coloring. Add the pasta and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add stock or water to just about cover the pasta and lower the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock when it is absorbed. Five minutes into the cooking, add the zucchini, and season with salt and pepper. Taste the pasta for doneness: if it isn't quite done and all the liquids have been absorbed, add a little more stock or water, cover, and cook for a few more minutes before tasting again. Adjust the seasoning. Transfer into a bowl, sprinkle with nibs (or pine nuts) and Parmesan, and serve.

Cook's note: Cacao nibs are bits of roasted cacao beans. They are small, crunchy, intensely chocolate but not sweet. You can find them at specialty-food shops (do not buy chocolate-coated nibs for this recipe) or order them at www.scharffenberger.com, (800) 930-4528.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from "Chocolate & Zucchini," by Clotilde Dusoulier (Broadway Books, 2007)

CHOCOLATE & ZUCCHINI CAKE

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, or 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus butter or oil for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant-coffee granules

3 large eggs

2 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini (from about 1-1/2 medium zucchini; keep the remaining 1/2 zucchini for optional garnish)

1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips

For the topping (optional):

confectioners' sugar or melted bittersweet chocolate or thin zucchini slices

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch spring form pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a food processor, pulse the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the vanilla, coffee granules and eggs, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

Reserve a cup of the flour mixture and add the rest to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick. Add the zucchini and chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture, and toss to coat. Fold in the batter with a wooden spoon; don't overmix. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and smooth the surface with a table knife or icing spatula.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, unclasp the sides of the pan and let cool to room temperature. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, glaze with melted chocolate or decorate with a few slices of raw zucchini (you don't have to eat them, though).

Yield: 12 servings

Recipe from "Chocolate & Zucchini," by Clotilde Dusoulier (Broadway Books, 2007)

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

1/2 cup butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups chopped pecans

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, zucchini, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well to blend.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Chill the batter until firm, at least 4 hours, up to overnight. Do not try to rush or skip this step; it is essential.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease two baking sheets. Form the batter into walnut-sized balls and roll each cookie into the chopped nuts. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies look dry. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

Recipe from "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan and Andrea Chesman (Storey Publishing, 2002)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.

Absorption Pasta is made like risotto - hot stock is added to the pasta, rather than the other way around. This version features the unusual combination of cacao nibs and zucchini. Photo credit: Photography by Clotilde Dusoulier for "Chocolate & Zucchini" (Broadway Books, 2007)