Broiled Baby Zucchini Boats with Parmesan Crust

• From: Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 4 small zucchini and/or summer squash (slender ones, about 6 inches long), halved lengthwise

• salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• grated Parmesan cheese

Small zucchini are tender and moist, and really fun to eat in large pieces (halves, in this case) that are anointed in the broiler with a crunchy cheese topping. This is a good, quick, last-minute vegetable dish that you can whip up on a weekday after work.

Directions

• Preheat the broiler to 500°F and move the oven rack to the highest position.
• Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or a frying pan with an ovenproof handle. Add the garlic, and sauté over medium-low heat for only about 30 seconds, so it cooks but does not brown. (Browning garlic makes it bitter.)
• Place the zucchini halves facedown in the pan and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Turn up the heat to medium-high, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the zucchini are just slightly tender when poked gently with a fork.
• Turn over the zucchini, and sprinkle with Parmesan. (Don't worry if the Parmesan spills into the pan. It will melt into additional delicious crust.) Cook for just a minute or two more, then transfer the skillet to the broiler.
• Broil for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve hot, and be sure to scrape up the spilled Parmesan from the bottom of the pan.