Summer Luck Stew

There’s an art to grocery shopping, and I’m not talking about picking the best seasonal produce, getting the best buys on meat or being able to spot the freshest fish.

The sign of a great grocery shopper comes down to one thing: Everything perishable runs out at the same time.

A great grocery shopper, in other words, plans the week’s meals and buys only what is needed. This ideal shopper prepares a menu list for each day of the week and then breaks that down into individual recipes. The ingredients for those recipes are combined on a shopping list arranged according to where they are found in the grocery store.

Right. And for my next trick, I’m going to organize all my cookbooks in alphabetical order, by type of cuisine and in descending order of preference.

The way my shopping really works is, I go into the market and see what looks good. With luck, one thing leads to another. Some good-looking eggplant means I will probably buy some zucchini and a few red and yellow bell peppers to grill with it. Those weeks when there’s nothing but broccoli, I know I’m going to have to buy lots of dried pasta. When I have three or four meals planned, I can go home.

The problem is, nothing ever works out the way it’s planned. The bell peppers end up sauteed as a side dish; the eggplant is left alone. Or, on my way out the store, some really terrific zucchini beckons. How can I refuse? (Farmers markets are especially bad for those of us with this kind of problem.)

That’s how odds and ends collect on the lower shelves of the refrigerator. When there are so many that closing the door is difficult, it’s time to do something.

Last week, the wallflowers at my kitchen dance included some tomatoes that weren’t quite good enough for slicing by themselves, a couple of seductive ears of corn that caught me in a weak moment and a bag of zucchini that somehow wound up on my doorstep.

I warmed some green onions slowly in butter, letting them get fragrant. Then I added the zucchini, cut in large chunks so it wouldn’t go too soft. When that had been thoroughly coated with the flavorful butter, I added a little water so the squash would soften and mellow without browning. The tomatoes, coarsely chopped, melted right in. Finally, a couple of handfuls of corn and chopped fresh herbs gave the last bright pop of flavor and color.

One thing different about this vegetable stew is the progression of cooking temperatures. In most stews, you start over high heat to brown the ingredients, then turn to low to marry them. Since we’re trying to keep as much of the original color and flavor of the vegetables as possible, start on low heat and finish on high. Otherwise the first vegetables will end up soggy, and the final ones, raw.

As easy as this recipe is, there are a couple of things I learned in testing it. First, don’t add too much water. You want just enough to steam the zucchini, not boil it. And don’t be tempted to substitute stock; you want the fresh taste of the vegetables.

Be careful to balance the herbs. Fresh oregano, in particular, takes on a medicinal edge when there’s too much of it. Use mostly parsley and add just enough basil and oregano to give it some complexity.

Finally, though I used regular round tomatoes the first time I made this recipe, on a subsequent try, a couple that were a little riper gave off too much liquid. Stick with Romas or plum tomatoes for the surest results.

Of course, if round tomatoes are all you have in the kitchen, use them up. There’s nothing worse than leftovers.

SUMMER STEW

1 1/2 pounds small zucchini

Water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 bunch green onions, white parts only, minced

Salt

Pepper

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 ears corn, kernels only

1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs (basil, parsley, marjoram and/or oregano)

Trim ends of zucchini and rinse under cold water, rubbing to remove any loose dirt. Place in bowl of ice water and soak 15 minutes. Remove from water, cut in half lengthwise and slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Drain on paper towels.

Cook butter and green onions in large skillet over medium-low heat until butter is melted and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and increase heat to medium. Season with salt to taste, and cook, stirring, until zucchini begins to look shiny, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring, until all liquid evaporates, 9 to 10 minutes. Zucchini should be somewhat soft. Season to taste again with salt and few grinds of pepper and increase heat to high. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes melt into stew, about 5 minutes.

Add corn kernels and mixed herbs and cook, stirring, until corn is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, adjust seasoning and serve.

6 main-dish or 8 side-dish servings. Each side-dish serving:

112 calories; 136 mg sodium; 21 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.79 gram fiber.