Zucchini – 1988

Zucchini was big part of childhood in that the backyard garden shot them out of the ground directly at you.  Hundreds of them.  So there were zucchini breads, zucchini salads, zucchini in pasta….  Apparently a popular garden item in the burbs’, as everywhere you turned in Framingham, Mass circa 1988, someone else was pushing the ubiquitous squash on you.  

And so late one summer night several young men were reportedly spotted with a large crate of zucchini, surreptitiously depositing them in unlocked cars all along Union Avenue.  And no, things never ever ever got crazier than that during my whole time in high school.  

In any event, as the weather warms and before they get played, here’s a little ditty to get your zuc’ on:

Half a teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted in a dry skillet and crushed. Sauté a bit of chopped shallot and garlic in olive oil, a touch of tomato paste.  Diced zucchini in, toss around.  Season with S&P and a shake of red pepper flakes.  This all happens in like 5 minutes, keep a little crunch in your squash.  

• unlocked cars
• vegetable misdemeanors
• zucchini