Final week, I used to be foraging in my fridge, attempting to find dinner concepts and grumbling about it. It was a kind of sticky July weeknights when the concept of actual cooking sounds terrible. I opened the vegetable drawer to seek out the farm-fresh summer season produce I’d giddily hauled dwelling days in the past, whereas envisioning all types of stylish dishes. Within the face of these uncared for veggies, my dinner grump immediately lifted, and I knew simply what to make: The Wonderful Zucchini-Tomato Factor.
I name it The Wonderful Zucchini-Tomato Factor, as a result of frankly, I feel “recipe” feels a bit grand right here. I first tried the dish in my early 20s, after I labored for a elaborate film director, who used to make it for us in her house at 11 p.m., after we’d each had method an excessive amount of rosé (which is to say, it’s very simple). It really works as a sauce for pasta or leftover rooster, or you possibly can put it in a bowl with a fried egg on prime, however often, I simply dump it on a plate and that’s that. I’ll then eat the leftovers chilly from the fridge all week. It’s simply that good. And in contrast to all the things else I did as a twenty-something, I nonetheless get pleasure from it simply as a lot immediately, as a frazzled mother or father. The one distinction now’s I make it at 5 p.m.
The Wonderful Zucchini-Tomato Factor
Serves 4-5 (as a sauce or aspect) or 2-3 (by itself)
Is it elegant? No. However what The Factor lacks in Instagrammability, it greater than makes up for in ease and yumminess. All that, plus it clears out your vegetable drawer. What extra might you ask for?
Elements
1 pile o’ zucchini (roughly 1-2 in the event that they’re biggies, or 3-5 in the event that they’re smaller)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, or extra, as wanted
A pinch of salt
1 28-ounce can/field of tomatoes (diced, crushed or complete peeled is okay)
Wash zucchinis, and slice them into rounds roughly 1/4-1/2-inch thick. Don’t fear about uniformity. That is an unapologetically lazy dish, and the number of sizes solely advantages it.
Tough chop your garlic. (Chopped or sliced is good, however truthfully, go forward and use the garlic press if you need — this isn’t The Bear.)
Seize your widest saucepan, and add the olive oil. You need a good quantity right here — sufficient to cowl the underside of the pan after which some.
Put the oiled pan over a medium warmth, and when it’s good and scorching, add the zucchini slices. I like to begin by making a layer of them within the backside of the pan, overlapping if essential, so the oil is generally coated, after which scattering the remaining on prime together with the garlic and a sprinkle of salt. This makes it simpler to keep away from burning the garlic, with out having to look at it tremendous intently.
After a couple of minutes, seize a spatula and begin scooping and flipping the zucchini in sections. Some needs to be beginning to brown, whereas others may look gentle for now. That’s okay — we’re cool with unevenness right here! — but when any bits look scorched, dial down the warmth. Wait one other jiffy, then repeat. From right here on out, all you’re doing is flipping these zooks till most of them are principally browned. The thickest slices may nonetheless look a little bit pale and juicy and “undercooked,” whereas the thinnest ones may have fallen aside into darker, stringy, mushy bits — which is nice! Your pan ought to appear to be a scorching mess proper now. If that’s the case, you’re prepared for the ultimate step.
Elevate the warmth to medium/medium-high and dump in your tomatoes. (Should you’re utilizing whole-peeled, you may squish them together with your arms a bit first, however you can too smoosh them within the pan with the spatula. Simply don’t neglect to dump within the juice, too!). Let the zucchini-tomato combination get sizzly, stirring sometimes, for a couple of minutes till it reduces a tiny bit to complement the flavour. If you wish to use this as a sauce or sauce-y topping, you possibly can take it off now. If you need a thicker, extra scoop-able side-dish (or major dish) then sizzle and stir on medium warmth for an additional minute or two, simply till it begins sticking to the pan barely.
And that’s that! Take that child off the warmth and do with it as you want. On this explicit evening, I plopped it on prime of rotini for an early household dinner with my husband and toddler. However later that evening (not 11 p.m., however late sufficient) I got here right down to the kitchen for an additional serving to. No pasta this time — only a good, heaping scoop of The Wonderful Zucchini-Tomato Factor in a cereal bowl, nonetheless chilly from the fridge. Some issues simply style higher that method, proper?
P.S. Dealer Joe’s hacks, and the restaurant shock I’m nonetheless pondering of twenty years later.
(Images by Kelsey Miller.)
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