Zucchini with Garlic and Herbs
It's mid-summer and your garden is giving up more zucchini than you can handle. Here's a delicious way to use it up!
Zucchini is relatively easy to grow and very productive. As a result, once the plants are mature, the constant production of new fruits can be overwhelming. In a past article, I shared a recipe for sweet zucchini relish, - and that is a good way to use it up and preserve it - but cooking it also makes sense, especially when one is awash in so much fresh produce!
Zucchini is tasty1 and it is also excellent at taking on flavors, but when it is cooked, it has a tendency to go mushy, which results in a less than appetizing texture. This recipe plays to its strengths, and offers an easy fix for the mushy problem.
Ingredients:
2 zucchini (~ 8” in length)
1 tomato
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Handful of basil or oregano or parsley
2 tbsp olive oil (or whatever oil you have)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of crushed chilis (optional)
1/4 wedge of lemon or lime (optional)
Directions:
Slice the zucchini diagonally into noodle-like matchsticks.
It seems tedious, but it only takes a minute, and it’s a great way to improve your knife skills. Place the sliced zucchini in a medium-sized bowl, add and the salt, and GENTLY mix it all together until you feel the moisture starting to come out of the zucchini (this should only take a minute or so). While you are preparing the rest of this dish, give the zucchini as little stir from time to time to help distribute the salt and allow it to pull moisture out of the the zucchini.
Place a pan on medium or medium/high heat, and add about 2 tbsp of oil. While that is heating up, cut the onion into thick slices and mince the garlic.
Put the garlic and onion into the pan and move it around occasionally until it starts turning golden brown.
While the garlic and onion are browning, slice up a tomato, but in a special way. First, cut it in half, scoop out the center pulp, dice the pulp up, and set it aside - then, slice up the outer part of the tomato into strips.
Cutting the outer part of the tomato into strips allows it to be sautéed without adding too much moisture to the pan. Once the garlic and onion are browned, add the tomato strips (not the pulp) to the pan and give it a stir.
While the tomato is cooking, go back to the zucchini and squeeze as much of the the water out as possible. I think it is perfect to use just like this. but if you want it less salty - give it a rinse and then squeeze out the moisture. The most important thing is to have have as much water as possible removed from the zucchini before adding it to the pan.
Everything in the pan should look like this before you add the zucchini. Add the tomato pulp and zucchini to the pan. Add Add the pepper, chilis and lemon. Gently toss it all around for about a minute.
Quickly mince the basil, add it to the pan, and gently toss it all around for about a minute, and that’s it - you’re done!
Why this works
Brining the zucchini removes the water from its flesh. As a result, its responds differently to high heat and will not become mushy when sautéed. With the texture problem solved, the zucchini can do what it does best, and suck up the intense flavors of the garlic and basil. This is a very tasty side dish that goes wit many meals, so give it a try and let me know what you think!
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Here’s how to make it:
Some varieties are better than others when it comes to taste. To date, my favorite varieties for this dish are “Bossa Nova” and “Lebanese Magda”.