Until my last trip to Italy I would never have eaten zucchini unless it was small and only just cooked. The moment of change came at a restaurant in Rome when I was served a dish of zucchini and beans that had been cooked so long and slow, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and served with parmesan. It was an epiphany of taste, so different from eating small, young, quickly cooked zucchini, that I started to leave some of my zucchinis to mature a bit more before picking, particularly when planning to cook for a big group. Whilst this won’t thrill your eye in quite the same way as just-cooked zucchini, believe me, it’s delicious.
- Place the zucchini slices in a single layer on a large wire rack, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons salt. Leave to stand for 40–60 minutes, then rinse off the salt and dry really well with paper towel, squeezing out any excess moisture.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, then add the zucchini and stir to coat in the oil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add the verjuice, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes or until the zucchini is very soft and meltingly tender; check occasionally and use a simmer mat if the zucchini starts to catch on the base of the pan.
- Drain the zucchini, if desired, then check and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl, then scatter with the basil and mint and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
1 kg zucchini (courgettes), cut into 2 cm-thick slices
sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup (80 ml) verjuice
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons basil leaves
3 tablespoons mint leaves
