It's that time of year: The zucchini in your garden seems to multiply overnight. Or someone shows up at the office with a shopping bag full of zucchini and says, "here -- take some home.''
Had your fill of zucchini bread and zucchini boats? Try something different -- zucchini butter. It takes about an hour to cook a couple pounds of zucchini down into a soft, buttery paste that can be tossed with pasta, spread on grilled bread or used in place of sauce on a pizza. Or, spread it on toast and top it with a poached egg -- one of my favorite work-from-home lunches.
I went with a recipe from one of my favorite cookbook authors and food bloggers, Marissa McClellan, tweaking it slightly to add a bit of heat. I cooked the zucchini down for a full hour, leaving it slightly chunky but soft enough to spread -- not total mush.
Zucchini Butter
Adapted from "Preserving by the Pint,'' by Marissa McClellan
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 plump garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
Big pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the zucchini has begun to soften. Add salt, pepper and thyme at this point. Reduce the heat and continue to cook the zucchini, stirring often. The goal is to cook the moisture out of the zucchini and create a soft, flavorful paste. If the zucchini starts to brown and stick to the pan, add a splash of white wine or some vegetable broth and reduce the heat a bit more.
Total cooking time should be about an hour. I left the zucchini butter a bit chunky, but soft enough to spread.
Early stage of cooking the zucchini down
Linguine with zucchini butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 plump garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
Big pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
2 pounds zucchini or a combination of zucchini and yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off stems)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to the pan and cook for a minute. Add the zucchini cubes.
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off stems)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to the pan and cook for a minute. Add the zucchini cubes.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the zucchini has begun to soften. Add salt, pepper and thyme at this point. Reduce the heat and continue to cook the zucchini, stirring often. The goal is to cook the moisture out of the zucchini and create a soft, flavorful paste. If the zucchini starts to brown and stick to the pan, add a splash of white wine or some vegetable broth and reduce the heat a bit more.
Total cooking time should be about an hour. I left the zucchini butter a bit chunky, but soft enough to spread.
When done, cool the zucchini butter and store it in half-pint jars in the refrigerator. It will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
Note: Serve the zucchini butter with pasta, on crusty grilled bread or on pizza.
All photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise noted
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