Zucchini with Thyme

My father found a recipe for zucchini sautéed in butter and olive oil with onion, parsley, and thyme in one of his decade-old Food and Wine magazines. He made it a few days ago and it was perfect - tender, but still firm, gently infused with the flavor of thyme. The original recipe calls for the zucchini to be cooked for 20 to 30 minutes, which was simply too long for the zucchinis I used tonight. They were done at 10 minutes. My mother tells me that depending on the source and the time in the season, zucchinis can widely vary in toughness. So my advice is to watch it closely and when it is close to being done, take it off the heat.

Zucchini with Thyme Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound fresh zucchini, cut into 3-by-1/2-inch sticks
• 1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled (use vegetarian bouillon for vegetarian option)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter on medium heat. Add the onion and parsley and cook until soft, but not browned.

2 Add the zucchini sticks, crumbled bouillon cube, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir to coat the zucchini. Cover and cook until tender, from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how tender the the raw zucchini is to begin with, and how small you have sliced the pieces. Check and stir every few minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Yield: Serves 4.