Easy Zucchini Recipe

An excellent suggestion from Barb the Evil Genius, Why don't I share some recipes for those who are dubious about zucchini?

A good suggestion, because I have some people close to me who would rather pass the vegetable by. One of them still does not eat the stuff, unless it comes as part of his entree and he cannot make a vegetable exchange. Another resents that he was tricked into eating it years ago.

I have not done a lot of research on the subject, but I know some folks get around the texture of cooked zucchini, which seems to be a good part of the food's unpopularity, by breading and deep frying the slices. I've eaten it that way, but never prepared it that way.

The most frequent way I prepare it at home is sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and sprinkled liberally with Parmesan cheese once it is in the serving dish.

First I slice the zucchini into rounds about a quarter inch thick, or even slightly thicker. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan. Be sure to use a large enough pan that most of the slices can lie on the bottom. I don't use a lot of oil, maybe even less than a tablespoon. I just film the bottom of the pan.

With a spatula, I keep turning the rounds in the pan. I want them to be lightly seared on at least one side, browning, not blackening.

Near the end of the saute time, I'll put some paper thin slices of garlic (a couple of cloves) in on top of the zucchini, or a single clove crushed through the press. I also add some salt and fresh pepper. I'll get that thoroughly mixed in and then transfer the rounds to a serving dish, one spatula full at a time. I like Parmesan cheese, so I layer the slices of zucchini in their serving dish with the cheese.

My kids enjoy this recipe with me. Sometimes we use it with zucchini alone, and sometimes with yellow summer squash.

I also love zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini and I plan to try grilling zucchini for the first time this week. Zucchini bread recipes abound on line and I've never had a bad one. It makes an attractive looking cakey bread. Tomorrow I'll post about the stuffed zucchini my mom used to make.