Zucchini with lemon and basil

Let's skip spring and go straight to summer, shall we? When I come home from the farmer's market with armloads of zucchini and tomatoes and corn and promptly run out of ideas to cook them. MOM's was displaying some perfect little zucchini specimens the other day, so I decided to get a jump start. My cousin Kelly introduced me to the first half of this recipe - simply grating the squash straight in to the pan with butter and garlic. The lemon and basil just add an extra summery touch. Freshly grated parmesan or crumbled feta would have been a perfect topping (full disclosure: this light and healthy side accompanied a super cheesy pasta, so we needed no additional fromage that night). This dish gets a little wet, so if you wanted to avoid extra zucchini juice, you could grate it ahead of time and wringe it out or press with a paper towel. I'm not that picky, though.

And I swear, this introduction is way too long for such a simple recipe!

Zucchini with lemon and basil
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 2 medium zucchini
• a good handful (about 1/4-1/3 c.) basil leaves, chopped or chiffonade
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• juice from 1/2 a lemon
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. When melted, add garlic. Just as the garlic starts to get really fragrant, grate zucchini in to pan. 
2. When zucchini is cooked through and slightly translucent, turn off heat and add basil, lemon zest and juice. Season well with salt and pepper.