Simmered Sungolds and Squash

Zucchini Trifolati, a traditional Italian squash dish is light and aromatic with a creamy consistency. Folded with simmered sungolds, beans, and basil, it's a delicious and bright start to summer.

In late June and early July the most delicious baby zucchini and squash appear at the market. If I get to there early enough, I can score the ones with their blossoms still attached, which are perfect for garnishing or adding texture atop a zucchini loaf or a frittata.

These smaller squash are superior in flavor due to their lower water content and are easier to cut into these architectural shapes I learned at King restaurant in the West Village for making trifolati.

Zucchini Trifolati, a traditional Italian squash preparation, is light and aromatic. It has a creamy consistency yet maintains a bite, emphasizing the zucchini's freshness this time of year. Garlic gently simmers in olive oil with some fragrant marjoram around a halo of zucchini. The squash is covered to steam and cook for about 20 minutes. During this time, the zucchini releases all its water, then absorbs and softens. Once soft but still slightly toothsome, I fold in fresh chopped parsley.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I simmered the first market sungolds, added the zuchinni trifolati to the sauce, and then stirred in some drained coco blanc beans. I finished the dish with more basil and slathered it on some toasted sourdough, resulting in a delicious, bright start to summer, bursting with freshness and flavor.

Since then, I’ve been preparing this regularly for myself and my clients. It’s hard not to snack on sungolds while making this, so I planted two small plants in my Dad’s garden.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve made several variations of this dish, sometimes without the beans, and served them as a side dish to grilled fish or chicken for protein. For my clients' breakfast, I delivered the zucchini trifolati and sungold sauce and instructed them to simmer them together in an oven-safe pan, crack in some eggs, and bake until the eggs were set. Then, they enjoyed the egg bake like a shakshuka with some toasted sourdough.

However you choose to prepare this, it’s a quick main, side, or breakfast with simple ingredients you can find at your local market and prepare in under an hour. It’s comforting, dairy-free, can make a standout vegan main, and light enough to compliment a balmy summer evening.

Simmered Sungolds and Squash

Ingredients

Zucchini Trifolati

Baby zucchini, cut in architectural shape

Garlic, minced

Extra-virgin olive oil

Marjoram, small amount, minced

Fleur de sel

Parsley, chopped, some stem is ok

Sungold Sauce

Sungolds, sliced in half horizontally

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fleur de sel

Basil, torn

Beans

Dried, fresh, or drained canned beans of your choice

Aromatics for simmering fresh beans, such as garlic and herbs, and extra virgin olive oil

Simmered Sungolds and Squash

Zucchini Trifolati

Sungold sauce

Beans (optional)

Basil

Squash blossoms (optional)

Sourdough for dipping

Method

Zucchini Trifolati

Prepare the zucchini first by cutting the stem end off. Then, holding your knife at an angle, cut a wedge-shaped piece. Roll the vegetable slightly toward you, holding the knife in the same position, and make another cut. Roll again, cut again, and so on. See above for the video tutorial.

Coat a sauté pan in olive oil, and add a generous amount of minced garlic to the center. Add zucchini around the garlic, piling if needed. Sprinkle the zucchini with fleur de sel and the garlic with minced marjoram. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the heat on low. The zucchini will release all its water, then absorb and soften. This should take about 20 minutes, but check intermittently to ensure it isn’t browning. Once the zucchini is soft but still slightly toothsome, mix the dish to yield a creamy texture and fold in the freshly chopped parsley.

Sungold Sauce

Coat a pan with olive oil, add sliced sungolds, fleur de sel, and some torn basil, and turn the heat to high. Then, reduce the sauce to simmer and cook until the sauce has a nice, creamy consistency and some skins remain intact.

Beans

If preparing dried beans, soak overnight. If you forgot or want to make this spontaneously, you can cook beans straight from dry; they won’t cook as quickly and require more stirring and attention. Season the beans with a few glugs of olive oil, hearty herbs like thyme, a whole chili if you’d like to add some heat, and a bulb of garlic sliced lengthwise or a couple of smashed cloves. If you’re cooking fresh beans bring to a simmer with the same aromatics. Simmer beans until soft (an hour and a half or so for dry beans and around 20 minutes for fresh beans), cool, and store in their liquid. If using canned beans, drain and rinse under cold water.

Simmered Sungolds and Squash

Combine the sungold sauce and zucchini trifolati, and stir in some drained beans. Let the flavors meld. Serve warm, garnishing with torn basil and squash blossoms if you have. Enjoy with warm toasted bread.