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Flexible side dish stars zucchini and corn

Recipe: Stir fry is a variation on succotash

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED JUL 26, 2020

Fresh zucchini and corn get some pop from red onion, garlic and basil. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Into every vegetable gardener's life a little zucchini will appear. Or a lot. Even if you don't grow it, you wind up with it anyway -- hey, did someone leave that on the porch?

Zucchini bread, sure, is a great way to use it. (Have you tried making the blog's famous chocolate zucchini bread ?) And grilled, stuffed, etc., all have their place. But the search for more ways to use summer squash is a ubiquitous summer pursuit, so the side dish here is really handy. It also makes great use of fresh corn. Think of it as a modern take on succotash.

I came up with this a few years ago. It's a no-recipe recipe, in that the list of ingredients is just a suggestion. Vary it any way you like, with whatever you grow or find at the farmers market. But this particular version is really, really good.

Note: I included the green beans because I had them. Diced bell or hot pepper is another option. Lima beans aren't on my list of likes, but if fresh ones are available, try those, too.

Onion slice, zucchini, basil and ear of corn

Simple, fresh ingredients make this side dish a winner.

Zucchini-corn side dish

Serves 4 (easily doubled, or more)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 to 1/2 cup diced red onion (from one large slice of of a large onion)

1 8-inch zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise into quarters and then sliced thin.

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ear fresh corn, kernels stripped off the cob

1/2 cup green beans, lightly steamed or blanched, optional

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Handful of fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade or torn

Instructions :

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the red onion for a minute or 2, stirring. Add the zucchini, continuing to stir for a minute or so, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Just a few minutes of stirring are needed.

Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic. After another minute, add the corn kernels, and the green beans, if using. The goal is texture like stir-fry, crisp-cooked without getting too brown.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before removing from heat, stir in the basil, saving a leaf or two for garnish. Serve alongside grilled meat and caprese salad.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipes summer cooking gardening Sacramento summer vegetables backyard produce produce management zucchini summer squash summer

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Garden Checklist for week of Dec. 8

Make the most of dry weather while we have it this week. Rain is returning.

* Rake leaves away from storm drains and gutters. Recycle those leaves as mulch or add to compost.

* It’s not too late to plant something. Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Trees and shrubs can be planted now, especially bare-root varieties such as fruit trees or rose bushes. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from winter rains.

* Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location; bring them inside at night or if there’s rain.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Mulch, water and cover tender plants to protect them during threat of frost. Succulent plants are at particular risk if temperatures drop below freezing. Make sure to remove coverings during the day.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

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