Last week, I rummaged through my refrigerator looking for dinner ideas and complaining about it. It was a sticky July weeknight when the idea of serious cooking sounds awful. Imagining all sorts of elegant dishes, I opened the vegetable drawer to find the fresh summer produce I’d wandered home many days earlier. Before these neglected veggies, my dinner grump quickly cleared and I knew what to make. A great one with zucchini and tomatoes.
I call it “great zucchini tomatoes” thing, because I think the “recipe” feels a little grand here, frankly. I was in my early twenties when I first tried this dish. At the time, when I was working for a fashionable film director, she would often make this dish for us at her apartment at 11 p.m. after drinking too much rosé. very easy). You can use it as a sauce for pasta or leftover chicken, or you can put it in a bowl and top it with a fried egg, but I always throw it on a plate and that’s it. Then eat the leftovers in the fridge chilled for a week. That’s it. And unlike other things I used to do in my 20s, I still enjoy being an exhausted parent just as much.The only difference now is that we will arrive at 5pm
Zucchini and Tomato Amazing
4-5 (as sauce or side) or 2-3 (alone)
Elegant? no. But what The Thing lacks in Instagrammability, it more than makes up for in its convenience and deliciousness. In addition to all this, the vegetable compartment will be emptied. What more could you ask for?
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1 pile of zucchini (1-2 large ones, 3-5 small ones)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, or more if needed
a pinch of salt
Tomatoes 1 28 oz can/box (diced, crushed, or whole peeled works fine)
Wash the zucchini and cut into rings about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Don’t worry about uniformity. This is an unapologetically lazy dish, but the variety of sizes adds to it.
Coarsely chop the garlic. (chopped or sliced would be ideal, but honestly use a garlic press if needed, this one doesn’t) bear. )
Take the widest pan and add olive oil. Here you need just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Heat a greased skillet over medium heat and add the zucchini slices when hot. I like to layer them on the bottom of the pan first, layering as needed to cover most of the oil, and then splatter the rest over the top with a sprinkle of garlic and salt. This way you don’t have to keep a close eye on the garlic and you can easily avoid burning the garlic.
After a few minutes, grab a spatula, scoop up the zucchini, and flip. Some should be starting to brown, but others may look soft for now. fine. Even if there are unevenness here, it is cool! – However, if it looks like it’s burning, reduce the heat. Wait a few more minutes, then repeat. From here, all you have to do is flip the zouk inside out. many among them In many cases turned brown. The thickest slices may still look a little pale, juicy and “undercooked”, but the thinnest slices will crumble into darker, stringy, mushy pieces. This is good. Your pan should now be piping hot and messy. If so, you are ready to proceed to the final step.
Increase heat to medium-medium-high and add tomatoes. (If you’re using the whole peeled one, you might want to mash it a bit with your hands first, but you can also use a spatula to mash it in the pan. Don’t forget to add the juice. !). Let the zucchini-tomato mixture simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and flavorful. If you want to use this as a sauce or sauce-like topping, feel free to remove it now. If you want a thicker, easier-to-scoop side dish (or main dish), sizzle for an additional 1-2 minutes over medium heat until it starts sticking slightly to the pan.
And that’s it! Remove the baby from the heat and let it do what you like. On this special night, I put it over rotini for an early family dinner with my husband and toddler. But later that night (it wasn’t 11pm, but late enough), I came down to the kitchen to help with another one. No pasta this time. It’s just a cold bowl of cereal straight out of the fridge and heaped with great zucchini and tomato stuff. Is there anything that tastes better than that?
PS A dinner so delicious that it’s nicknamed, and a restaurant surprise that I still remember 20 years later.
(Photo credit: Kelsey Miller)
