The perfect midsummer dish, one that can be served hot or cold. Convert it to a pasta sauce by tossing it, hot, with cooked pasta, a couple of raw eggs, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: Any summer squash.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks

　　1 large onion, chopped

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1/2 cup chicken or other stock, preferably homemade (pages 160–163), or water

　　1/4 cup fresh dill leaves, roughly chopped

　　1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

　　

Step 1

Put half the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the zucchini and onion along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini has softened slightly and begun to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

　　

Step 2

Turn the heat to low and add the stock; cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the zucchini is very tender.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the herbs, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.