Garlic-Parmesan Zucchini
Zucchini is a great Summer squash, however cooking it can be tricky. I have found out that the
secret is to pretty much not cook it at all, similar to the technique used in Chinese stir frying.
However, it is difficult to impart flavour into the squash with such a brief cooking time. The
techniques that I introduce into this recipe aim to impart flavour into this Summer squash
without cooking it for long. The idea is remove the seeds and then to salt it ahead and thus
remove some of the water, and then to impart flavour to the oil before introducing the squash to
it.
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Ingredients:
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- 1 large zucchini or two small ones
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 or 4 small hot peppers
- 1 tablespoon of chopped chives (or parsley)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
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Procedure:
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- Prepare the Zucchini
- Cut the zucchini lenghtwise in half and then cut each half lenghwise in half.
- With a small knife, cut the seeds out of the zucchini. Discard the seeds.
- Cut the zucchini into a small dice (about 1 cm cube pieces).
- Put the diced zucchini in a bowl and sprinkle with the with the salt.
- Let stand for at least 20 minutes.
- Flavour the oil
- Place a fine mash strainer over a small bowl to have it ready.
- Slice the garlic and the hot pepper
- Put the oil in a frying pan and put the garlic and hot pepper in the cold oil.
- Cook over moderate heat until the oil warms up through and you can smell the
garlic.
- Using a heat-proof spatula drain the oil over the strainer and reserve until ready to
cook.
- Drain and sautee the zucchini
- Put the zucchini on a strainer to drain and discard the water.
- Heat the flavoured oil over moderate heat until very hot, but not smoking.
- Add the zucchini to the hot oil, and the chives if using, and stir fry for about 90
seconds. You should just warm the zucchini through but for it to still be crisp.
- Remove to a plate, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve
immediately.
