Howdy! In between trying to get the house and yard in shape for the bigger bunch of company coming soon, I am getting some new recipes ready for you all. No matter what else may be going on with all of us, we can always eat, so blogging about food is like falling off a log.
Blogging about zucchini is almost a necessity, given the amount that our garden is churning out right now. The unbelievably cool weather we’ve had all summer is not making the tomatoes happy, but the zukes and cukes are loving it. We love zucchini though, so we are happy to have a lot. That means, I am always looking for new flavors to go with it and the large bag of lemons I have in the fridge seemed like the perfect pairing. And I put garlic in everything, so of course that has to go in.
This is a flexible/adjustable/change-according-to-your-taste recipe. I used two “Portofino” zukes which stay slender as they get longer – these are about 10 inches long each. For “Black Beauty” or other, more common dark skinned types, we pick them at about 6 to 7 inches long, so I would probably use 3 for that type. Cut washed zucchini into one inch thick slices. I know that may seem thick, but bear with me, as there is a method to this madness.
Place the slices with a cut side up and season them with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Put a heavy saute pan on high heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. You want to have the juice of 1/2 lemon and several cloves of minced garlic ready.
Carefully place the zucchini, seasoned sides down, in the hot pan. I use tongs to make sure I don’t burn myself. Season the second side with more salt and pepper.
Leave the heat on high. We want a nice, dark caramelization on the squash. I use this technique for a lot of our favorite summer squash dishes – saute on high heat to get some nice color and intense flavor, and then use a variety of different ingredients to finish things off. Anyway – you want the slices to look like this before you turn them.
Leave them to cook on the second side until they are nicely browned again.
Remove the squash to a serving dish. Reduce the heat to medium and working quickly, discard any oil left in the pan. Put in a couple teaspoons of butter, along with the garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute, taking care not to let it brown, as that can make it bitter.
Add the lemon juice and stir for about 30 seconds. Pour the sauce evenly over the squash.
Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings as a side dish, or it will fill up one hungry person who is just having this for lunch. Trust me on this – I have tested it on myself!
Now, I am diving back into the cleaning, cooking and shopping for massive amounts of food. And picking beans – good golly do beans seem to love cool weather too! Have a lovely day my friends …
Another post you may like: Chocolate Fudge Zucchini Brownies
That looks wonderful! I do a similar dish, but have never added the lemon juice. Must try that next time! It’s also delicious sprinkled with parmesan.
As far as I’m concerned there’s no such thing as too much zucchini.
Looks yummy! I’ve never tried lemon with my zucchini. I’ll have to give this a try!
for breakfast??? yummmmm
Oh yeah. I’m going to be making those. Yummy!
yum – I really love zucchini – this looks like a great way to have it
Looks delicious, Donalyn. I will have to pick up some zucchini at the farmer’s market. I always have lemons in the frig. Thanks for the recipe….Shirley
Recipe printed …. I’ve got fresh lemons and garlic …. now to find some good zucchini … I can’t wait. (I noticed you set thee fork down …. Larry not around?) ; )
PS – thanks for finding time to post …. and for putting up with me! ; )
Perfect side for the summer. I love pan-frying zucchs! And, well, anything drizzled with garlic butter is a winner!
this was my favorite veg growing up…maybe adding your seasonings to it would make it still be my favorite as an adult!
I like nice and easy recipe like yours. Less is more, isn’t it?
Are you stealing dish towels for Fridays again? I’ve told you about that. It’s not right. Stealing it wrong.
Looks yummy.
Oh thanks… looks so yummy. Hubby loves zucchini!!!
I have all those ingredients in my fridge. I am going to try it tomorrow!! It looks delicious!
oh my! how gorgeous this looks! i love how simple this dish is..
Still enjoying your blog
I did NOT plant zucchini this year because I always calculate wrong, but I’ve been buying it at the farmer’s market. There is nothing better.
Looks absolutely delicious!
What a wonderfully fresh way to eat your garden bounty!
YUM. Oh now I’m doubly hungry…
yum! What a great side dish. I love finding new zucchini recipes!
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I just made this for lunch and can honestly say that it was the best zucchini dish EVER! So simple and fresh yet filling and completely delicious!