Zucchine, zucchine, e ancora zucchine. Ci pacciono tanto, ma ci sembra di non mangiare altro che zucchine in questi giorni. E pensare che di piante ne abbiamo soltanto tre! Questa è una bella sfida, e bisogna essere molto inventivi con le ricette. Eccone una tipica del Sud d’Italia, che ci piace molto:

Zucchini, zucchini, and more zucchini. We love them but we seem to be eating nothing but courgettes / zucchini these days. And to think that we only have three plants! This is a great challenge, and you have to be really inventive with the recipes. Here is a traditional one from Southern Italy that we like a lot:

Zucchine alla Scapece

Ingredienti (Ingredients):

un chilo di zucchine (1 kg of courgettes / zucchini)

olio per friggere (oil for frying)

due cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva (2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil)

un bicchiere di aceto di vino bianco (a glass of white wine vinegar)

una manciata di basilico (a handful of basil)

due spicchi d’aglio (2 cloves of garlic)

sale (salt)

Preparazione (Method):

In a medium size salad bowl mix together the extra virgin olive oil, the vinegar, salt and garlic, and set the mixture  aside.

Trim, wash and dry the zucchini then cut them into half cm slices. Put plenty of oil in a frying pan, and fry the sliced zucchini until they are nice and golden on both sides. Remove the zucchini slices from the frying pan and put them on the kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil. Put the slices in the salad bowl containing the marinade mixture, add the chopped basil, and mix everything together.

Cover with a plate slightly smaller than the bowl so that it presses the zucchini down into the dressing, and leave them to marinate for at least twelve hours. Serve le zucchine alla scapece at room temperature.

Varianti (Variations):

For a nice refreshing summer flavor, use mint instead of basil.

If you want a diet version, slice the zucchini thinly length wise and grill them instead of frying them.

Buon Appetito!