So, every now and then I feel the need to give a shout out to the person who brought a certain dish into my life. Ok, quite often, I feel this. All of my favorite foods have a person tied to them, so many come from moments of awe that something so simple could taste so revolutionarily delicious and nourishing—Rich invented the avocado tacos for me, Marta served up the best steamed broccoli…and this zucchini recipe comes with a big thank you to Ramon, aka Moncho. I am sure he will smile proudly and think I’m a little crazy for crediting him for this. He’s a big meat eater and is always a little stressed, I think, when he invites us over dinner and feels the need to create veggie options. But I do think he is one of my prime examples that it’s the love that goes into the food that makes it amazing. And sometimes, the simpler the dish, the more love it can freely gush out at you. So, here is the simplest and most exquisite calabacita recipe:

Ingredients:

Zucchini

Salt

Pepper (or lemon pepper)

Olive oil

Instructions:

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise.

In a pan (cast iron is best!) pour a little olive oil and spread it around.

Place the zucchini open face down on the pan.

Cover the pan and let cook for a few minutes.

Flip the zucchini over so the open face is up and add salt and pepper (or lemon-pepper) once the open face is slightly charred and the zucchini is nearly cooked. It’s up to you how well-cooked you like it. If you are happy with the level of crisp on the open face, but would like it to soften up a bit more, add little water after flipping it and cover to cook further. The more you cook it, the softer the zucchini will get. Of course, zucchini can be eaten raw, so there’s not minimum cook time.

That’s it! Serve immediately, alone or as a side. I often make this a quick lunch by serving it with refried beans.