RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Brain Mailman Veg: Marinated Zucchini: Concia di Zucchine - pareve
From _The Book of Jewish Food_ by Claudia Roden "This too is a Sicilian specialty that was brought to northern cities by Jews fleeing the Inquisition. In the Veneto dialect it is "zuchete in aseo."... she makes note that once it was steamed and not fried for some visiting dignitary and the first thing he said was, "This should be brown! 1-1/2 lbs zucchini Olive oil 2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped A few sprigs of fresh basil or mint, finely chopped 4 tbsp. wine vinegar {My note: Sometimes Roden makes assumptions about what a cook knows; this would be white wine vinegar} Salt and pepper Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut in thin slices diagonally. fry quickly in batches in hot olive oil, turning them over once, until browned all over. Lift out and drain on paper towels. Fry the garlic or leave it raw. Lay the zucchini slices in layers, sprinkling each layer with the drained garlic, the basil or mint, the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Leave to marinate a few hours before serving cold. It keeps very well for days. VARIATIONS: for a peppery version, put a small chile pepper in the oil at the start and discard it after frying the zucchini, or mix a pinch of cayenne with the vinegar. for a sweet-and-sour ("agrodolce") version mix 21 tbsp. of sugar with 1-2 tbsp of vinegar. for "concia di melanzane," do the same with sliced eggplant. {my note: here again, she's assuming one knows to salt and drain the eggplant to remove bitterness before completing the preparation." B/
