Poaching is not a common preparation here in the U.S., but in season all over Italy you will be served zucchini cooked this way, simply seasoned with salt and olive oil. It is a perfect method when excellent zucchini are abundant—convenient to do the cooking ahead. Let the zucchini cool and you can serve them many delicious ways—as an appetizer, a side dish, or the centerpiece of a summer salad. (See below for some good ideas.) You can expand this recipe as much as you want for large parties.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　2 pounds (5 or 6) small tender zucchini (see box, page 239)

　　1 teaspoon coarse fleur de sel or kosher salt, plus more to taste

　　3 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest

　　1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

　　

Step 1

Rinse the zucchini but do not trim them. Bring a large saucepan or stockpot of water to a steady boil. Add the zucchini, but don’t cram them together or boil them too vigorously, because you want them to remain whole.

　　

Step 2

Cook for about 20 minutes, partially covered. Near the end of the cooking time, check for doneness by lifting one squash from the water with a large slotted spoon or spatula. A perfectly cooked zucchini will be just soft enough to droop a bit on the spoon but won’t break apart. Carefully remove the zucchini, one at a time, to a colander or wire rack and lay them flat. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of the salt over the squash, rolling them to distribute the salt evenly. Let cool for a few minutes.

　　

Step 3

When you can handle them comfortably, trim the ends from each zucchini and cut them in half crosswise, into 3-inch pieces. Slice all of these lengthwise in half, and again into quarters, to form wedges. Arrange the wedges neatly on a serving platter, cut side up, in one or two layers, so you can dress them easily.

　　

Step 4

Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of salt evenly over all the slices (you may need a bit more if using very coarse grains of fleur de sel). Then drizzle the 3 tablespoons of oil all over and scatter the lemon zest. Let the zucchini absorb the flavors for a while before the final seasoning. Just before serving, sprinkle the lemon juice over the wedges. Taste a piece, and add more salt or lemon juice if you like.

　　

Good So Many Ways

Step 5

Once you’ve cooked and cooled whole zucchini—and cut them into wedges, rounds, or cubes—dress them with any good salad dressing or with any of these cold sauces:

　　

Step 6

Salsa Verde (page 362)

　　

Step 7

Smooth Sweet Red Pepper Sauce (page 364)

　　

Step 8

Cucumber, Yogurt, and Mint Sauce (page 363)

　　

Step 9

Another way is to slice the poached zucchini into thin lengthwise strips and layer them into a gratinate with country bread, following the recipe on page 240.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.