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Italian Pickled
Zucchini
BY DANA JACOBI
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH |
The summertime
glut of green squash, or zucchini, is quickly dwindling, and
its time to take advantage of whats left in farmers
markets before it disappears completely. Pickling zucchini is
my way to finish the season with zip. It is easy, particularly
when done for immediate consumption, without the extra process
of canning and all its attendant concerns.
Savory, pickled
squash, accented with green peppers, keeps up to two weeks, long
enough to enjoy while adjusting to trucked-in produce. And in
mid-winter, when squash and peppers grown in the weaker winter
sun of distant places appear in supermarkets, you can happily
make more. In fact, pickling is a great way to fire-up the flavor
of these vegetables and satisfy cravings for that memorable tang.
Zucchini can
be pickled many ways - enhanced with garlic and mustard seed,
added to sweet and sour chow-chow pickles, or diced, spiced and
simmered into chutney. My current favorite evolved from Neapolitan
zucchini a scapace, which is based on Spanish escabeche, a pickled
fish dish. In both this and the Neapolitan versions, the vegetable
is first cooked, then marinated in hot vinegar. In both countries,
these pickled vegetables are served as an antipasto or side dish.
Italian Pickled Zucchini, page 2
Neapolitans
air-dry sliced squash, fry it in olive oil, then marinate it
in heated, seasoned vinegar. In my simpler, but equally effective
version, the squash is oven-roasted and combined with raw peppers
and carrots, then marinated in a pungent, hot pickling liquid.
Italian
Pickled Zucchini - Makes 3 cups, or 6 half-cup servings.
Canola oil
spray
2 large zucchini, cut at slight angle into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium carrot, cut at slight angle into 1/4-inch slices
1 small green bell pepper, seeded, halved
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
and thinly-sliced
Preheat oven
to 350 degrees.
Coat a baking
sheet with spray oil. Arrange zucchini on the sheet in one layer.
Spray zucchini liberally with cooking spray. Roast until zucchini
is just slightly softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add carrot and bell pepper. In a small, non-reactive pan - like
an enameled, stainless steel, or non-stick pan - combine vinegar
with water. Add garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer
5 minutes. Pour hot mixture over vegetables.
Cover with
a plate or other heavy object to hold vegetables under pickling
liquid. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature. Season
to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Per serving:
30 calories, 0 g. total fat, 5 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. protein,
2 g. dietary fiber, 203 mg. sodium.
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