The other night we had an intimate dinner with our dear friends and serious foodies, Jeff and Catherine. I love these two for many reasons but near the top of that list would be their deep appreciation and love for food. We’ve bonded over the stove more times than I could ever count, so when I knew I was going to attempt my first ‘farm to table’ dinner, it would be with them.
All was going well. L was running in the yard with William and Henry, sticks in hands. Catherine, in wedges, was running after B, who was flying down the road on his scooter. The men were drinking red wine on the front porch while also prepping the green egg for the ribeyes, and I was inside working with the beautiful summer squash from our garden.
Balancing the different needs of the kids, I knew it would be best to get B to sleep and then eat, so I prepped this quickly (I’m talking like 10 minutes, if that) and stuck the skillet in the oven to stay warm until B was all tucked in and snoozing away. I think it made it even better and a huge bonus that, as Catherine so kindly stated, it made my home ‘smell like heaven’. Seriously – the fresh herbs, the lemon zest, the butter, the parmesan – all nestled in between the freshest squash you could find.
We could not get enough.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 zucchinis, thinly sliced to 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Working in batches, add zucchini, thyme and lemon zest. Cook, flipping once, until golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon juice.
- (The skillet sat in my oven for about 20 minutes and I gave it a little more fresh parmesan and thyme before I set on the table. I went light on the lemon juice.)