Stewed Zucchini and Tomatoes

The world outside the sealed house is changing — not the virus (the virus continues) but the world's response to itself. George Floyd was killed on May 25th, and the killing has produced a reckoning that reverberates through the library (still closed, but the staff meets weekly on video to discuss programming responses) and through the household, where two generations of Blackwoods sit at the dining table and talk about race and justice and the particular America that a family of Black Southerners inhabits — the America that is both home and threat, both beloved and dangerous, both the country that produced Toni Morrison and the country that produced the knee on George Floyd's neck.

James leads these conversations. He speaks with the combined authority of a political science student, a pre-law candidate, and a young Black man in America, and the authority is earned by all three identities and by none of them individually — the authority is in the combination, the intersection, the place where the academic and the personal and the political converge. Robert listens with the attention of a man who is learning from his son, which is the reversal that good parenting produces: the parent who taught now sits and learns.

Mama does not follow the conversations. She sits at the table and hums, and the humming is "We Shall Overcome," which she may or may not be humming in response to the conversation — the disease makes it impossible to know — but which lands on the conversation like a blessing, because the hymn is the history, and the history is the present, and the present is a kitchen in Charleston where a woman with Alzheimer's hums a civil rights anthem while her grandson talks about justice and her daughter stirs the roux.

I made okra soup — Mama's recipe, the Lowcountry dish that traces its lineage to West Africa, the dish that carries in its ingredients the history of a people who were brought here against their will and who made, from the food they could find and the food they remembered, a cuisine that is now called "Southern" by people who do not know its African name. The soup is history. The history is the conversation. And the conversation is the life.

Mama’s okra soup is hers alone, and I won’t pretend otherwise — but when the conversations at that table grew long and the roux had already been stirred and the weight of everything settled into the kitchen air, I found myself reaching for something else from her repertoire: the stewed zucchini and tomatoes she used to make in the deep heat of summer, a dish so simple it almost disappears, and so honest it stays with you. It is the kind of cooking that requires nothing but attention and time, which is exactly what that season demanded of all of us — attention and time, and the willingness to let things soften.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon drippings
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 lbs), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
1 large fresh tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh parsley or basil, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Soften the aromatics. Heat oil or drippings in a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add the zucchini. Add the zucchini rounds in a single layer as best you can. Let them sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop a little color, then stir and cook another 2 minutes.
Build the stew. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and the fresh tomato. Stir in salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir gently to combine.
Simmer low and slow. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15–18 minutes until the zucchini is fully tender and the tomatoes have broken down into a thick, savory broth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. Serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley or basil. Pairs well with crusty bread, rice, or alongside any Southern main.

Nutrition (per serving)

Stewed Zucchini and Tomatoes — The Pot That Holds the History