This being winter, we thought we would provide a recipe for a summer garden favorite. And no, we do not find anything incongruous about this. What better time to start dreaming about the goodies of summer than now when the cold seems interminable. Okay, so as people lucky enough to live in San Diego which is as close to weather perfection as it ever gets in the US, we do not really experience winter – at least not of the snowmageddon variety.  Anyway, one of the veggies that will reward you with copious production is the zucchini. Two plants can produce enough for a family of four for the growing season. With our limited space, we’ve regretfully stayed away from it. Our rationale – we have a well stocked market within 2 minutes walk of our house and it’s pretty hard to give up tomato space.   So since we love zucchini but don’t always have it growing in the garden, we are so happy to be able to purchase was needed.

This little side dish is so simple, tasty and healthy. It is just bursting with flavor that we almost want to do a little dance as we eat it. Yes, it is that good.

Sautéed Zucchini Recipe

• 1 lb zucchini
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp fresh pepper
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves garlic

Slice zucchini cross-wise into 1 inch thick chunks. Add oil to medium sized saute pan and heat on high heat. Sprinkle both cut faces of the zucchini with salt and pepper. Place in the hot oil and sear until dark brown.  Turn over and sear the other side.  It is important that the oil be very hot so that the zucchini will get that nice color BEFORE it becomes soggy.  The zucchini should still have a bit of crunch in it when it is done.

Juice the lemon, mince the cloves of the garlic and mix in.  When the zucchini slices are done, place them on a large plate and pour the garlic/lemon mix over them.  That’s it. This dish is best eaten while hot, so eat immediately.