Sauteed Zucchini

Tonight when I planned on preparing the last of the orange roughy, I didn't know what to accompany the fish with.  Looking around in the crispers, I found a couple Italian squash rolling around in there, probably purchased for the pasta salad.  That zucchini wound up contributing to the execution of my first Bittman recipe.

Sauteed Zucchini

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
About 2 lbs zucchini, the smaller the better

1 tbsp salt (optional)
3-4 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
minced fresh parsley for garnish

Coarsely grate the squash. Place grated squash in a colander and salt it liberally.

Toss to blend and let drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse quickly and dry by wringing in a towel.

Italian squash wrung dry.

Place oil in a large non-stick skillet and turn heat to medium-high; add garlic.

When oil is hot, toss the squash in the oil, sprinkle with pepper, and raise the heat to high.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the squash is browned, about 10 minutes.

Garnish and serve hot.


I wasn't sure how this would go over, but it turned out pretty good. It was different from how we usually have zucchini, which is sliced and sauteed in oil/butter.  Afraid it would be really cooked down and mushy, I was surprised to find that it still had firmness, not just from the browned parts either.  Interesting. 

Bittman says the salting part is optional, but I'm not convinced the results would be as pleasing.  Without drawing out most of the water from the vegetable, you might end up with sauteed and soggy zucchini.  That's just me speculating.

Cost:

• zucchini: $1.21
• everything else, SWAG: $0.50

Total: $1.71 or $0.57 for each of three servings.