When you’re looking for new recipes that are healthy, but also insanely delicious, look no further than Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia, Italy is one of the healthiest places on the planet, having one of the highest rates of active centenarians with low rates of chronic diseases.
In addition to a glass or two of wine every night with friends and family, an active life with delicious, traditional diets are part of the secret. This quick recipe for sweet and sour zucchini is the perfect side dish served warm in cool weather or cold in the summer.
Many traditional Sardinian recipes take quite a bit of time. And if you’re looking for some traditional recipes for tomato sauce or pasta from scratch, check out our recipes for Sardinian pizza or Sardinian small gnocchi with meat sauce.
However, this recipe for Sardinian sweet and sour zucchini is much faster, so it’s a great recipe for a healthy and delicious weekday treat.
The following recipe comes from a treasure trove of over 2,000 traditional and regional Italian recipes from the cookbook, La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy.
Let’s get to it.
First, heat around a 1/4-inch of olive oil in a large pan and chop about 1-1/2 pounds of zucchini (about 3 medium sized zucchini) into thin, sliced rounds.
Slice the zucchini.
Add the zucchini in batches and fry so that they are in a single layer in the pan. As the zucchini is frying, heat the sweet and sour zucchini sauce over low heat, consisting of 4 tbsp. sugar and 4 tbsp. white wine vinegar.
Saute the zucchini.
When the zucchini are nicely fried, drizzle the sweet and sour zucchini sauce over them and put back over heat for about a minute.
Sweet and sour zucchini.
This dish is typical of Nuoro and is delicious when served hot in the Fall or Winter. But it can also be delicious cold in the Summer.
Pair this Sardinian gnocchi and meat sauce with a glass of granache wine. We recommend pairing the cooking time and meal with loved ones. The key to making the long cooking process enjoyable is sharing the time with friends and family, filling the kitchen with amazing smells along the way, and the delectable reward of a delicious, healthy meal for your hard work!
If you enjoy this recipe, try our recipe for Sardinian pizza or Sardinian small gnocchi with meat sauce. And if you’d like try some other healthy and delicious recipes from Ikaria, Greece, you won’t be disappointed!
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