Serves
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
½ cup (120 ml) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3½ pounds (1.6 kg) small zucchini, sliced into ½-inch (12 mm) coins
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2½ cups (100 g) whole basil leaves
Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper, to serve
Fancy olive oil, to garnish
Toast (optional)
Freshly shaved ricotta salata or pecorino cheese (optional)
Procedure
Here’s an Italian-inspired stewy vegetable dish of the kind I love so much. With enough good olive oil and garlic, firm, small-gauged zucchini becomes a perfect no-effort stew to eat on a hot summer night with ripped-off hunks of bread and a bit of sharp ricotta
salata or pecorino. This method of cooking also works well for onions, peppers, beans (see page 81), and more. Ingredients cooked this way are wonderful both at room temperature and chilled (though you don’t want them too cold, or the olive oil will still be solid—take them out of the fridge fifteen minutes before serving, and make sure to add a big glug of spicy olive oil before you serve.
In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the zucchini and give it a big stir. Stir in the fine sea salt. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so the zucchini does not stick to the bottom and brown. After 40 minutes, the zucchini will become very soft, almost like zucchini jam. Remove the lid and let the water steam out for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the basil leaves. They will darken and release their amazing flavor. Check for seasoning, adding salt if necessary and a bunch of pepper. Serve right away warm or, later, cold, always with a drizzle of fancy olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky salt. Try it on toast topped with ricotta salata or pecorino.
