Monday, March 17, 2014

Perhaps my all-time favorite type of meal can be described with one word: toast. A good piece of toasty bread can be the perfect setting for any kind of topping, and can be made into a hearty meal or a light snack. Infinitely customizeable, you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even dessert. Toast with peanut butter and banana slices, toast with sautéed spinach and a poached egg, toast with hummus, toast with avocado, toast with ricotta and fresh tomato, smoked salmon and capers, cream cheese and cucumber, nutella, I could go on and on.
Today I was faced with a couple of leftover zucchinis from dinner the other night. Not wanting to eat them right away, but not wanting to let them go bad, I came across a marvelous idea: zucchini butter! Yes, zucchini can be transformed into a condiment that works perfectly as a side dish, eaten straight out of the pan, in a sandwich, or simply spread atop - you guessed it - toast.
To begin, I shredded the zucchini with a box grater, then squeezed out as much moisture as possible through a clean kitchen towel. Meanwhile I sautéed a bit of onion and garlic in butter. Once the onion was softened and translucent, I added the zucchini and salt and pepper to taste, and let it cook down for a good while.
I would have taken more pictures, but this stuff didn't last long

Patience is a virtue here. The method is not unlike caramelizing onions - you let them cook over a long period of time over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. You don't want your pan to be so hot as to let them get browned and crispy (this can also have delicious results, but is not our goal here), but rather so that they melt down into a spreadable, almost creamy consistency. If you can resist eating it all right away, you can put it in a jar and save it for lunch tomorrow, whether or not toast is involved.

1 comment:

  1. Patience in a Virtue that I Do not Have when it comes to letting things simmer as you say. When you mentioned, "...so hot as to let them get browned and crispy (this can also have delicious results)." I knew that zucchini butter would be a goal I would never arrive to!

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