Giada's Kitchen: Broiled Zuccinini and potatoes with parmesean crust

This zucchini concoction is one of those recipes that I'm surprised to see in a cookbook. It's so commonsense and summery, and the premise of the flavors and technique is basic and oh-so-tasty. I think any person who has access to the mounds of summer squash and zucchini that appears in July and stays until September at farmers markets everywhere has probably thrown it on the grill with a bit of Parmesan. But with Giada everything is more sophisticated, so the sprinkled Parmesan becomes a Parmesan crust and with that modification the recipe is fit to be re-posted on my blog.



Broiled Zucchini and potatoes with Parmesan Crust (adapted from Giada's Kitchen)

4 small new potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup parsley, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 zucchini (at least), cut in half length-wise, then in one inch pieces
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to sprinkle on top
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes and cook them until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the minced garlic and about a quarter of the fresh parsley to the oil. Saute the zucchini, garlic and parsley together until the zucchini is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Once the zucchini is cooked, arrange the zucchini and potatoes on a baking sheet with the flesh side of the vegetables facing upward.
4. Sprinkle the vegetables with kosher salt and ground pepper. Then top the vegetables with the rest of the parsley and all of the Parmesan. The Parmesan will create a better crust on the zucchini than the potatoes, so focus the Parmesan on the zucchini for the most pleasing results.
5. If you're working with a grill, place the vegetables over high heat for 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. If you're using an oven broiler, move the oven rack close the broiler and broil the vegetables until the cheese is golden brown, about 4 minutes.

The beauty of this recipe is there is no way to mess it up. The amount of vegetables, parsley, and Parmesan really don't matter as long as the final product is delicious. The same technique can be employed with a variety of summer vegetables.