Zucchini and poblano "butter" turns zucchini into a much more interesting vegetable. This spread has real character - buttery, smokey flavor and soft, rich texture. It's probably my favorite way to eat zucchini.

Along with goat cheese, feta or Parmigiano-Reggiano, use zucchini butter as a topping for toasted or grilled bread, sandwiches, and pizza. Mix it into pasta, grains or polenta, or simply eat it with a spoon.

See Also

Poblano and Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Southwest Poblano Turkey Burger

Ratatouille with Cilantro and Cotija Pesto

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds zucchini
• 2 poblano chiles (sometimes mistakenly called pasilla chiles - see below)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• ½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: About 1 1/2 cups

Preparation

Using a food processor or hand-held cheese grater, grate the zucchini. Wrap the grated zucchini in a thin towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside.

To roast the poblano chile peppers:

1. Place each washed pepper directly over the flame on a gas stove or under an oven broiler.
2. Roast each side of the pepper until it is completely black.
3. Place the roasted pepper in a sealed plastic bag or in a container with a lid for ten minutes. This will steam the peppers while they cool and make removing the skin easier.

1. Use your fingers to rub and peel the blackened skin off.
2. Slice the stem off the pepper and open the pepper up. Scrape out the seeds.

Roughly chop the roasted peppers and set aside.

In a wide skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium. Add garlic. Saute for 1 minute, then add zucchini and poblano peppers.

Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently so the zucchini doesn't stick to the bottom of the skillet. If the zucchini does start to stick, just scrape up the delicious browned bits and mix them in.

Zucchini and poblano butter doesn't have an exact cooking time; 30 minutes is usually about right, but you might want to cook it slightly less or more, depending on the texture you want. The longer the zucchini cooks, the softer it becomes. Make sure to add the salt and pepper at the very end for more flavor.

In a sealed container, the zucchini butter will keep for a week or more. Use it as a spread on toasted or grilled bread, sandwiches, and pizza. Mix it into pasta or grains or polenta, or eat it with a spoon.

Poblano or Pasilla?

Poblanos are fresh chiles with a dark green color and long shape. The flavor of poblano chiles can range from mild to quite spicy; you never quite know.  Poblano chiles are often mistakenly labeled as Pasilla chiles in grocery stores. However, pasillas are a type of dried chile.

Pasillas are dried chilaca chiles. Fresh chilaca chiles look similar to fresh poblano chiles but are usually thinner and darker.

Confused? Check out this visual guide to green chiles.