SippitySup

Summer Squash Confit will Tame that Monster Zucchini

Summer Squash Confit

Confit, rillettes, oil poached. Whatever you want to call it I’ve been into it lately. Tuna one week. Halibut the next. It’s a simple way to prepare a luxurious piece of fish and it takes almost no attention. Pork and duck get the same treatment quite often because they too become impossibly elegant when submerged in fat and slowly cooked. But what about vegetables. Well, spread some Garlic Confit on bread. I guarantee it will end your addiction to butter. Yeah, it’s that sweet and silky. So, here it is the end of summer and I’ve decided to give Summer Squash Confit a try.

We’ve all heard stories about that neglected little summer squash nestled into the back of the garden. It’s green and well-formed and you plan to pick it real soon and use in a stir-fry. Really you do. But that will have to wait until later – a little binge TV seems a better way to pass a hot September afternoon. I know you know where this story is going so I won’t bother to finish, but it ends with a monster zucchini as big as your (fill in the blank).

Summer Squash Confit

Well, I didn’t grow any summer squash this year but I did pick up an oversized specimen or two at the farmers market. They sell the monsters at a terrific price. Probably because they’re less delicate in both taste and texture. I suppose this turns most customers away. But it doesn’t have to. Packed with herbs and given the confit treatment, Summer Squash Confit is a great way to bring a little silky sensuality to one of the least sexy summer vegetables out there. Of course, technically speaking confit is a noun, not a verb. The food geeks may scold me for calling confit a method and attaching it to a vegetable, but that just makes me like Summer Squash Confit all the more. GREG

Summer Squash Confit Summer Squash Confit

Herbed Squash Confit 

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 4 cupsSource Chef Steven SatterfieldPublished

Strain and save the poaching oil to make salad dressing.

Herbed Squash Confit

Ingredients

  • 2 pound summer squash (or zucchini, or a mix of both, trimmed)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for seasoning)
  • 2–3 sprigs fresh marjoram plus more to garnish
  • 2–3 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 cup olive oil (or perhaps more, as needed)
  • toasted baguette slices (for serving)

Directions

Heat the oven to 300°. On the large holes of a box grater, grate the squash and transfer to a large colander set in the sink. Toss the squash with the 1 teaspoon of salt until evenly combined and then let the squash stand at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Using your hands, squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible and spread it out in an even layer in a 9‑by-13-inch baking dish. Tuck all the herb sprigs into the squash and then pour the olive oil over the squash to submerge.

Bake until the squash is very tender and lightly browned at the edges, about 45 minutes. Let cool, remove herb stems and season with salt. Use a slotted spoon to serve the confit on toast slices and garnish with fresh marjoram to serve.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save