Olive Oil–Poached Zucchini with Grilled Bread and Oregano

Who among us does not love panzanella? Who cannot salute a salad made of bread that still dares to call itself a salad? This dish really began with the technique of olive oil poaching, which I like to use for squashes and mushrooms, in particular. Zucchini on its own doesn’t have a ton of bold flavor, and while the tendency to grill or sauté it is just fine, too often the subject ends up tasting like the method. Poaching in olive oil is meant to bolster its mild, sweet profile, which gets a subtle leg up by way of the aromatics in the oil. This dish is all about preserving cleanliness of flavor and countering the softness of the zucchini with torn grilled bread. It has since become my favorite go-to summer “salad.” Nota bene Be sure to soak the capers in cold water, refreshing the water every 15 minutes or so, until they are briny but not salty, about 2 hours. The zucchini poaching oil can be strained and reserved to poach other vegetables.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1 To make the roasted garlic, preheat the oven to 300°F.

Step 2

2 Lay a double layer of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the garlic on your work surface. Place the garlic heads in the center of the foil. Drizzle with the olive oil, then enclose the garlic completely in the foil, sealing all of the edges well.

Step 3

3 Place the foil packet in the oven and roast the garlic until lightly golden and soft enough to mash easily, 1 to 1½ hours. Set the packet aside to cool.

Step 4

4 Unwrap the garlic and cut each head in half horizontally to remove the top quarter.

Step 5

5 Squeeze the garlic from its papery sheaths into a bowl and mash with a fork until creamy. Measure out 90g / 6 Tbsp roasted garlic and set aside until ready to use. Transfer the remainder to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week for another use.

Step 6

6 To make the garlic butter, place a sauté pan over low heat and add the olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and gently cook until aromatic but without color, 10 to 15 seconds. Remove from the heat.

Step 7

7 Place the butter, sautéed garlic, roasted garlic, and lemon peel in a bowl and fold the ingredients together until well integrated. Set aside until ready to use, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Step 8

8 To make the zucchini, cut them lengthwise into quarters. Cut the quarters into 1-inch cubes.

Step 9

9 Spread the zucchini cubes on a sheet pan and sprinkle evenly with the salt. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This will help season the zucchini internally and draw out some of the moisture.

Step 10

10 Place a large saucepan over low heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, lemon peels, and oregano and gently heat until slightly warm and the flavors have come together, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 11

11 Add the zucchini and gently poach in the olive oil, stirring and testing periodically to check for doneness, 20 to 25 minutes. The zucchini should retain its bright green color and be tender but not mushy.

Step 12

12 Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the zucchini to a sheet pan to cool more rapidly. Reserve the olive oil. Once both the zucchini and olive oil are cool, recombine them and set aside until ready to use. Or combine them, transfer to a container, and refrigerate for up to 5 days, then, when ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. (You can speed this up by gently heating the zucchini in the olive oil.)

Step 13

13 To finish, heat a grill to medium or preheat your broiler and position an oven rack closest to the heat source.

Step 14

14 Slather the garlic butter on both sides of each bread slice. Place the bread on the grill or arrange the slices on a sheet pan and place under the broiler. Toast, turning once, until golden brown and slightly crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Step 15

15 Remove the bread from the grill or broiler and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Step 16

16 Place a large sauté pan over low heat and add 28g / 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Add the garlic and gently cook until aromatic but without color, 10 to 15 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Step 17

17 Tear the bread into 1- to 2-inch pieces.

Step 18

18 Remove the zucchini from the olive oil and place it in a large bowl along with the gently cooked garlic, the lemon peels, chile flakes, capers, vinegar, and the remaining 84g / 6 Tbsp olive oil. Toss to combine. Add the torn bread.

Step 19

19 Season with salt q.b. and add most of the oregano leaves, reserving a few for garnish. Toss to combine.

Step 20

20 Divide into bowls and garnish with the remaining oregano.