Jeff's Food Blog: Recipe: Zucchini

One of my favorite dishes to eat while growing up was my mom's zucchini. I was not the biggest fan of vegetables as a kid, but I had no problem eating zucchini the way she prepared it--tender slices in seasoned tomato sauce, all topped with melted mozzarella. She simply referred to it as "zucchini" (as in, "we're having zucchini with dinner"), but that always meant it would be served this way. It's still one of my favorites, and to this day I get excited when she makes it. When I was given this week's assignment to post a family recipe, I immediately knew that this was the one I wanted to use.

I gave my mom a call yesterday to ask her for the recipe, and to my surprise, I was informed that she didn't have it written down. D'oh! The recipe had been handed down for generations (my mom recalls it being made by as far back as her great grandmother), but apparently no one ever wrote it down. I asked her to try to explain the process as best she could, and I took notes. I got a lot of "some of this" and "a little of that," but no specific quantities. This was not going to be easy.

I made a grocery list, and headed to the market. I was shopping blindly, so I just bought what looked right based on my memory. Then I hit another problem: my mom said she used canned tomato sauce, but neither of the two places I went had any. I was on foot, and did not want to add a third stop. I noticed some cans of San Marzano tomatoes hiding on a bottom shelf--this would have to do.

I got home with my goods, and got to work. I grabbed my notes from the conversation with my mom, and started chopping. Here's what I came up with...

Zucchini

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 1 large Spanish onion (sliced)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 28 oz can peeled, San Marzano tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chiffonade)
• 3 lbs zucchini (1/4" slices)
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• Salt (to taste, approximately 1 teaspoon)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste, approximately 1/8 teaspoon)

Directions:

1) Crush the canned tomatoes--juice and all--using the grinder attachment on a stand mixer (or by using a fork in a large bowl). Set aside.
2) In a large non-stick frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted add the onion, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Continue to sauté until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add the garlic during the last minute.
3) Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley and basil, and stir. Add the zucchini, and stir to cover the slices in the sauce. (The pan will be very full, but do not worry - it will cook down.) It may be necessary to reduce the heat a bit to avoid splattering, but do not go too low. Continue to simmer until the zucchini becomes tender, and turns from bright to dull in color--do not overcook--approximately 45-50 minutes.
4) Meanwhile shred the cheese with a grater, and set aside.
5) Taste and season with salt and black pepper. (Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, and add more if necessary.)
6) Once properly seasoned sprinkle with cheese, reduce heat to low, cover and allow to melt, approximately 1-2 minutes.
7) Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Visual aids:

prepped vegetables, herbs and garlic