My zucchini plants are still producing and I share the green and white striped ones with my boyfriend’s mother. The other day she said she was going to fix them in an old Italian way, boiling them and then serving with just olive oil and salt. I was intrigued. I’ve cooked them in many different ways but never just poached them like she was describing so of course I had to try it!
A New-to-Me Way to Cook Zucchini
I found a recipe in Lidia’s Family Table called Poached Whole Zucchini with Lemon and Olive Oil so started there. She says you can serve them plain, as is, warm or let them cool and use them in salads, gratins or with sauces like red pepper sauce or salsa verde. I liked them warm last night, as an easy side dish and will try out some other ideas with the leftovers.
Poached Zucchini with Olive Oil and Lemon
Ingredients
- 5 or 6 whole small zucchini about 2 pounds
- 1 taspoon kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Leave the zucchini whole. Do not trim them, just wash them.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to boil and add the whole zucchini. Cook about 15-20 minutes. Don’t overcook them or they’ll fall apart. They should just bend a bit when you pick them up with a spoon.
- Lay them on a wire rack or in a collander and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
- When you can handle them, trim the ends then cut each in half cross-wise and then cut into quarters lengthwise so you end up with 8 wedges per zucchini.
- Arrange the wedges cut side up on a plate. Sprinkle the other 1/2 teaspoon salt over them, then pour the olive oil over the wedges. Sprinkle the lemon zest on.
- Just before serving, squeeze lemon juice over the zucchini.
Other zucchini recipes on here include:
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