Joey’s Corn and Zucchini Skillet Sauté

 I recently hosted a dinner for some of my DEAREST friends in the whole wide world, and decided to do a classic summer menu. We had oven barbecued chicken and ribs, we had baked beans and potato salad, we had a fabulous chilled gazpacho, and of course a big pitcher of home made sweet tea. 

 When I was planning the menu, I knew I wanted to do something with fresh corn. (You really can't beat Jersey corn!) Then I saw a version of this recipe online and I thought, Oh! Perfect! Of course, I changed a few things here and there, because I can never leave well enough alone, and I had to make it my own. I was thrilled with how it turned out, and it was a BIG hit at dinner. I thought, well, this one is staying in the rotation! I think its beauty is in its simplicity. Just a bunch of summer veggies sautéed with a little bacon. How can you go wrong? Plus now you have a new something to do with all that zucchini from your garden. Win/Win! Give it a try!

5 strips bacon, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups fresh or frozen corn

4 cups zucchini, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

a drizzle of heavy cream

 

 

Add your chopped bacon to a cold pan. Turn on the heat to medium, not too hot. You want to gradually render the bacon fat. Give it a stir every so often until it's slightly crisp but not brittle. Add your chopped onions, bell pepper, and corn. Stir and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften. Do be afraid to let them get a little color as you go. Now add your diced zucchini. Give everything a good stir. When the zucchini begins to cook down, add your salt, pepper, and a drizzle of heavy cream. You don't want it to be swimming in cream, you just want to add a little richness. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. 

 

 

Tips:

When you're chopping your veggies, you want everything to be about the same size. I found it VERY helpful to use one of those handy dandy choppers that you see floating around the interwebs. You know, the kind where you put a half of an onion down and then slam it closed, pushing the onion through. HIGHLY recommend!

Use any color bell peppers you like. I used red because I liked the pop of color. Yellow or orange would look pretty too. And if you'd like to add a little zing, add some minced jalapeño or serrano peppers. 

Don't have a red onion? Use whatever you have!

To make this vegetarian, just omit the bacon, and use butter or oil in place of the bacon fat.