Zeytinyağlı Kabak
Zeytinyağlı Kabak·(zay-tin-yah-luh kah-bahk)
Zeytinyağlılar (The Cold Olive Oil Table & Fridge Mains)
Dinner doesn't have to be hot. In America, we disrespect pale green zucchini, hiding it in terrible chocolate cakes or turning it into sad diet noodles. This is the magic of the zeytinyağlı technique: humble vegetables, a pinch of sugar, a spoonful of rice, and a heavy pour of pooling olive oil. The grandmother's trick here is the çiğden method—you layer everything raw in a pot, turn on the heat, and walk away. Come Wednesday night, pull the glass container from the middle fridge shelf and let the oil settle; it must be eaten cold.
Before you start
Peel the squash in stripes.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove lengthwise strips of skin to create an alternating green and white striped pattern. This traditional 'alacalı' method allows the oil to penetrate while leaving enough skin to keep the vegetable from turning to mush.
Ingredients
- Mexican grey squash or zucchini1 1/2 lb
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic4 med cloves
- ripe tomatoes2 med
- white rice1 1/2 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil1/3 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- fresh dill1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Layer the aromatics off the heat.
Take a wide, shallow pot or Dutch oven. Without turning on the stove, scatter the chopped onion and sliced garlic evenly across the bottom.
- 02
Build the braise.
Spread the diced tomatoes over the onions, then arrange the squash half-moons evenly on top. Scatter the rinsed rice, salt, and sugar over the vegetables.
- 03
Drown it in gold.
Pour the olive oil evenly over the entire assembly. Do not add water unless your tomatoes are out of season and bone dry; the squash will release plenty of its own juice.
- 04
Simmer undisturbed.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and set over medium heat. Once you hear a gentle bubbling, immediately drop the heat to low and let it braise for 30 minutes, or until the squash is perfectly tender and the rice has puffed.
- 05
Rest and fold in the herbs.
Turn off the heat and let the pot sit untouched for 10 minutes before gently folding in the fresh dill. Do not over-stir.
- 06
Let it cool completely.
This is non-negotiable. Leave the dish in the pot until it reaches room temperature. As it cools, the starches will set and the olive oil will thicken into a luxurious glaze.
Notes
Source the right squash.
Mexican grey squash, often labeled calabacita in American supermarkets, is a botanical dead ringer for the Turkish sakız kabağı. It has a denser, sweeter flesh than standard dark-green zucchini, which tends to weep too much water.
Trust the rice.
Do not skip the rice. It isn't there for bulk; it's a crucial starch binder that naturally emulsifies the vegetable's moisture and the olive oil into a cohesive, silky sauce.
From Cook Turkish in America.