CookTeaser

Serves 2

A CookTale

I found a wonderfully new way to prepare good old Zucchini. Google lists 15,700,000 recipes, this makes it 15,700,000 &1. It came from food 52’s website, it was easy and it was delicious. The trick is to heavily salt the Zucchini for 30 minutes, as you would Eggplant, to remove the water.
I then washed off the Salt and thoroughly dried them. The method below goes into more detail.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium Zucchini, ends trimmed
Kosher Salt
1 TB of EVOO
2 TB of Butter
A Splash of Lemon juice
1 tsp of Honey (a variety you like but nothing too strong)
10 small Basil Leaves
10 small Mint Leaves
Freshly ground Black Pepper

METHOD

1. Cut the Zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into ½-inch cubes. Put them in a bowl, season generously with Salt and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Wash in cold Water to remove the Salt, then Drain and thoroughly dry.
2. Heat the EVOO & the Butter in a large sauté pan (large enough to fit the Zucchini in a single layer) over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the Zucchini and let it brown. The trick to this recipe is controlling the heat so the Zucchini neither steams nor burn. You want it to brown the edges while leaving the centers crisp-tender. Stir only when needed.
3. As soon as the Zucchini is done, spoon it into a serving dish, leaving the oil in the pan behind. Sprinkle with a little Lemon Juice, & the honey. Sprinkle on the Basil & Mint leaves & grind some Pepper over the Zucchini.

MY Preferred Variation: you can make a Basil and Mint Pesto instead of using whole leaves. Combine 1/4 cup packed Basil leaves and 1/4 cup packed Mint leaves with a pinch of Salt in a small food processor. Turn on the machine & drizzle 3 TBs of EVOO through feed tube, until a loose sauce forms. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Once the Zucchini is cooked, use this Pesto to finish the dish.