A fresh, vibrant zucchini pistou made with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, basil and lemon. Briefly cooking the zucchini and basil preserves their fresh flavor and color, while pulsing rather than fully puréeing gives the sauce a rustic texture.
Yield: About 1½ cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: About 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1⅓ pounds zucchini (2–3 zucchini, depending on size)
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions:
- Halve the zucchini crosswise and trim the ends so each piece will stand flat.
- With each zucchini standing upright, slice away the outer flesh, leaving the soft inner seed core behind. Discard the cores or reserve them for another use, such as soup.
- Cut the zucchini flesh into approximately 1-inch pieces.
- In a small saucepan, combine the zucchini, olive oil and sliced garlic.
- Place over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the basil leaves, stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Immediately transfer the zucchini mixture, including the oil and garlic, to a blender.
- Add the lemon juice and kosher salt.
- Pulse just until you have a chunky purée. Don't blend completely smooth—the pistou should retain some texture.
- Transfer to a small serving bowl and serve warm. Garnish with additional fresh basil, if desired.
Tip: Removing the watery seed cores is important here. It gives the finished pistou a more concentrated zucchini flavor and prevents the sauce from becoming thin or watery.
Source: Tom Keller