Marinated Zucchini

This salad is one I learned from a dear friend. She visited her hometown in Japan for a year, then shared some of her favorite recipes with me when she returned. This particular recipe is also one of my favorites, and is especially apropos now, when there's so very much zucchini. This is best made with smaller zucchini, those under 8 inches, but I've made it with success with even the largest zucchini.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil

up to 1/2 tsp salt

up to 1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup white vinegar 

1 small tomato, cut into dice (optional)

Directions:

Slice zucchini lengthwise. Cut seed core out and discard. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 15 minutes, until juices begin to come out. Rinse salt off. Cut zucchini into equal sized pieces. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet with the minced garlic and the basil. Add the zucchini and and cook only until it changes color and turns green, just a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with vinegar and chill 8 hours or overnight. Drain and serve. Adding tomatoes just before serving is also very good.

Stealthy Cooking Tip:

Adding vinegar effectively "pickles" the zucchini. You'll find that sometimes pickled vegetables are more acceptable than the same veggie not pickled. Go figure!