Final week, I used to be foraging in my fridge, attempting to find dinner concepts and grumbling about it. It was a type 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 residence days in the past, whereas envisioning all types of chic 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 flowery film director, who used to make it for us in her condo at 11 p.m., after we’d each had means an excessive amount of rosé (which is to say, it’s very straightforward). It really works as a sauce for pasta or leftover hen, or you may put it in a bowl with a fried egg on high, 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 every little thing else I did as a twenty-something, I nonetheless take pleasure in it simply as a lot at present, 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 may you ask for?
Components
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 right, however actually, go forward and use the garlic press if you would like — this isn’t The Bear.)
Seize your widest saucepan, and add the olive oil. You desire 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 start out by making a layer of them within the backside of the pan, overlapping if needed, so the oil is generally coated, after which scattering the remaining on high 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 must be beginning to brown, whereas others may look delicate 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 couple of minutes, then repeat. From right here on out, all you’re doing is flipping these zooks till most of them are largely browned. The thickest slices may nonetheless look a bit of pale and juicy and “undercooked,” whereas the thinnest ones could have fallen aside into darker, stringy, mushy bits — which is nice! Your pan ought to appear like a scorching mess proper now. If that’s the case, you’re prepared for the ultimate step.
Increase the warmth to medium/medium-high and dump in your tomatoes. (In the event you’re utilizing whole-peeled, you may squish them along with your palms a bit first, however you may also smoosh them within the pan with the spatula. Simply don’t overlook 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 may take it off now. If you would like a thicker, extra scoop-able side-dish (or essential 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 specific night time, I plopped it on high of rotini for an early household dinner with my husband and toddler. However later that night time (not 11 p.m., however late sufficient) I got here all the way 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 means, proper?
P.S. A dinner that’s so good it has a nickname, and the restaurant shock I’m nonetheless considering of 20 years later.
(Photographs by Kelsey Miller.)
