Sautéed Zucchini With Mint, Basil & Walnuts
★★★★★
SERVES
4 as a small side, or 2 as a meal.
Ingredients
1 pound
zucchini (or any summer squash), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
3 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
3
small cloves garlic
10
mint leaves
5
basil leaves
1
heaping tablespoon capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons
walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon
red wine vinegar, more to taste
1 pinch
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 handful
Additional mint and basil, torn, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat half of your olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the zucchini and sauté, flipping and turning every few minutes, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Don't salt them yet!
- While your zucchini cooks, chop together the garlic, mint, basil, and capers so that they intermingle and turn into a sort of knife pesto.
- When the zucchini is golden, remove it from the pan and cook the remaining zucchini in the remaining oil, just as you did the first batch. Then add the first batch back into the pan, along with the herb-garlic mixture and the vinegar, to taste. Taste for salt; add a good pinch, plus a few cracks of pepper. Toss well.
- Scoop everything out onto a serving plate. Right before serving, sprinkle on the nuts and extra herbs as a garnish. I like to carve out a corner of my serving dish, dollop on a big pile of ricotta, and serve everything together with thick slices of crusty bread. It also makes for some mean crostini.
