Sweet and sour zucchini

The sweet and sour zucchini (also known as zucchini caponata) is a quick and tasty recipe, in which the zucchini are cooked in a pan with spring onion, raisins and pine nuts and then flavored with sugar and vinegar. Excellent as a side dish, as a vegetarian appetizer or as a condiment for delicious bruschetta, sweet and sour zucchini have a delicate and aromatic flavour, enriched by the scent of fresh herbs such as mint and basil.

Unlike the classic Sicilian caponata, the recipe I suggest does not involve frying: the zucchini are in fact stewed in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, a little spring onion and a little celery. A very simple and fast method with which you will get a lighter but still good and tasty dish.

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sweet and sour zucchini recipe zucchini caponata italian recipe with courgettes raisins pine nuts by tastycorner

Video recipe of the day

  • DifficultyVery easy
  • Preparation time10 Minutes
  • Cooking time20 Minutes
  • Serving4 servings
  • Cooking methodStove
  • CuisineItalian
  • SeasonalitySpring, Summer and Autumn

Ingredients for sweet and sour zucchini caponata

2.2 lbs courgettes or zucchini squash (1 Kg)
2 spring onions
1 stick celery
2 tablespoons raisin
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch salt
Some leaf basil
Some leaf mint
276,66 Kcal
calories per serving
Info Close
  • Power 276,66 (Kcal)
  • Carbohydrates 24,35 (g) of which sugars 6,34 (g)
  • Proteins 8,94 (g)
  • Fat 19,16 (g) of which saturated 2,33 (g)of which unsaturated 5,84 (g)
  • Fibers 4,60 (g)
  • Sodium 118,04 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 185 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Tools

1 Chopping Board
1 Knife
1 Pan

How to prepare sweet and sour zucchini caponata

Qui trovi la versione italiana della ricetta Qui puoi leggere la ricetta in italiano!

To prepare the sweet and sour zucchini, start by soaking the raisins in warm water. Wash and peel the zucchini, then cut them into cubes that are not too small otherwise they will crumble during cooking.

cut the zucchini for the caponata

Clean the celery stalk, depriving it of the external filaments, and cut it into slices. Clean the spring onion by discarding the first layer but keeping the green leaves; cut it into thin slices.

Pour the oil into a large non-stick pan and add the spring onion and celery. Turn on the flame and, as soon as they begin to fry, add a little water, about 2-3 tablespoons.

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion and celery are tender, stirring frequently. Let the majority of the water evaporate.

l,et cook spring onion and celery for the zucchini caponata

Then add the zucchini and let them brown over high heat for a couple of minutes. Salt them and add the chopped basil and mint, the squeezed raisins and the pine nuts.

add the zucchini, raisins and pine nuts in to the pan for the caponata

Cover with a lid, lower the heat to medium intensity and let the zucchini caponata cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the courgettes are tender, remove the lid and let the cooking juices reduce.

Raise the flame and add the sugar and immediately after the vinegar. Mix carefully, always cooking over high heat for about a minute, until you no longer smell a strong vinegar smell. Then put out the fire.

add sugar and vinegar to the sweet and sour zucchini caponata

Serve the sweet and sour zucchini caponata at room temperature as a side dish, or you can use it to garnish delicious bruschetta.

en_ sweet and sour zucchini recipe zucchini caponata italian recipe with courgettes raisins pine nuts by tastycorner

How to store sweet and sour zucchini

The zucchini caponata can be kept for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator, closed in a glass jar.

Tips and variations

Raisins and sugar are used to accentuate the sweet taste of the zucchini: if you prefer you can use only one of the two things.
In addition to basil and mint you can use oregano and thyme.

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