Marinated Zucchini with Basil

This past Sunday at the market, I noticed that the stand next to my tomato purveyor of choice had tons of zucchini and squash on the cheap: they were selling baskets of 4-6 of them at 3 for $5, so I got one basket each of green zucchini, yellow zucchini, and summer squash. I had a lot of zucchini on my hands; actually, they were technically on my boyfriend’s hands because he was kindly serving as my shopping cart. (Side note: do not expect your boyfriend to be amused when you hand him a 3-ish-pound bag of zucchini when he’s already carrying well over 10 pounds of produce and it’s 90 degrees outside and you’re at the insanely crowded Baltimore Farmer’s market.)

Back to my point: I had lots of zucchini and needed to do something with it…fast. I had previously tried out a recipe for marinated zucchini from an Italian/pizza restaurant in Brooklyn (the one in NYC, not the neighborhood in Baltimore) at which I used to have after-work dinner with my dad every now and then, so I had high hopes for it. It was indeed good, but it was time-consuming and required that I stand over the stove frying batches of zucchini, which, as I’ve previously mentioned, I do not enjoy for a variety of reasons. Also, although it is traditional to use mint in such a dish, we didn’t really like its presence. Therefore, I bring you my version, which is just as tasty but is faster and easier, does not involve frying, and is devoid of mint

Marinated Zucchini with Basil

(serves 4 as an appetizer)

4 zucchini (2 yellow and 2 green; medium to large in size)
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
8 large basil leaves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons chopped scallions (from 1 large scallion)

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Heat the oven to 450° F.

Slice the zucchini into rounds slightly thinner than ½ inch thick. If the zucchini are large, cut the rounds in half. In a large bowl, toss the sliced zucchini with the olive oil and salt and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Arrange the zucchini in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20-22 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden brown and the zucchini are tender, but not mushy.

Transfer the hot zucchini back to the bowl and gently toss with the remaining ingredients except for the scallions. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Before serving, add the scallions and gently toss to combine.