Our cookbook of the week is Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia by Letitia Clark. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the author.
In Sardinia, Letitia Clark writes, people typically enjoy vegetables one of two ways: “eaten crisp and raw, or cooked long and slow until completely tender.” The following recipe is a beautiful example of the latter. Zucchini — bountiful, fresh and delicious this time of year — is cooked until meltingly soft, scented with garlic and chili, and scattered with mint, lemon zest and toasted almonds. A key ingredient throughout the country, she says, Italians are adept at bringing out zucchini’s best qualities.
“One of the nicest things about the way Italians cook vegetables is how much olive oil they cook things in,” Clark says, laughing. “It brings out the nutty sweetness of every vegetable … and Italians really understand that courgettes (zucchini) need a lot of olive oil to be really delicious. Whether you deep-fry them in olive oil or sauté them in lots of olive oil, or whatever you do with them, they need a lot of oil because they’re very water-heavy.”
SLOW-COOKED ZUCCHINI WITH MINT, CHILI AND ALMONDS
Zucchine con Menta e Mandorle
5 tbsp (75 mL) olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
700 g zucchini, halved and thinly sliced widthways
1 dried chili, crumbled, or a pinch of chili flakes
Sea salt
Handful of mint leaves, chopped (see note)
Pinch of lemon zest
2 tbsp (30 mL) almonds, toasted and chopped roughly
Step 1
In a heavy lidded frying pan over a medium heat, warm the oil and then add the garlic and the zucchini. Add the chili and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, so that the zucchini slices begin to take some colour and caramelize.
Step 2
After 5–10 minutes, when a fair few of the zucchini slices have caramelized, place the lid of the pan on and turn the heat down. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; if they begin to catch, add a splash of water.
Step 3
Once softened, taste and season. Add the chopped mint, lemon zest and almonds just before serving. This is best eaten at room temperature, with crusty bread and cheese.
Serves: 4 to 6
Note: I love mint here, but any soft herb is good (dill, tarragon, basil or parsley).
Excerpted from Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia by Letitia Clark. Text copyright © Letitia Clark, 2020. Published by Hardie Grant Books, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
