The giant yellow squash was sitting on my counter, goading me. “Your sister gave me up for you,” it seemed to say. “Do something with me already.” She just didn’t want you, I thought. You were superfluous.
Then, today, I thought about it with the extra cooked ears of corn. And the grape tomatoes. And basil from the four plants guarding my spindly and practically useless tomato plants.
If you have one of those big squashes that look like some radiation experiment, scoop out the seedy middle before chopping the rest. Zucchini can be substituted.
Side of Summer Bounty
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 medium yellow zucchini, chopped or sliced (or 1 big one)
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 ears sweet corn (about 1 cup), cooked or raw, kernels stripped from cob
1 tsp. rosemary salt* or sea salt (smoked would be nice here)
1/4 tsp. pepper (I used white)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or thyme leaves
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion and saute for a few minutes. Add squash and saute about 5 more minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and corn. Add a drizzle of additional olive oil if needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, till tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in seasonings and basil. Taste and adjust if needed.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
*To make rosemary salt, put 1 cup sea salt crystals and 1/2 cup dried cracked rosemary in a food processor or blender and process about a minute. If you don’t have cracked rosemary, put regular rosemary in processor for a minute, then add salt and continue. Store salt in a jar with a lid. Great on fish, chicken, vegetables, eggs.
Looks yummy!