Zarangollo is a peasant dish from Spain that probably originated with the Sephardic Jews who lived in the area around the city of Murcia. In Spain, it is often served as a main course, but also as a side dish, or even as a tapa.
The dish clearly falls into the category of “zucchini dishes for people who don’t really like zucchini” – like Spaghetti alla Nerano, for example. The beauty lies in the simplicity of the preparation and the very few ingredients. It becomes delicious and wonderful when you use the best produce you can find and invest patience and love in it. So even if you do not like zucchini / courgette: Read on! It’s worth it.
Halve onions and cut them finely across the grain. Then heat good olive oil not too sparingly in a large pan over a low heat (we: 3 out of 10) and sauté the onion slowly. Yes, plenty of oil should be used here because it is an important ingredient in the dish. Don’t worry, the moderate temperature won’t damage the olive oil.
Meanwhile, cut zucchinis. Buy the smallest and freshest zucchinis you can find, they are more tender and juicy and don’t have any annoying seeds or fluffy flesh. These are all characteristics that contribute to many people not liking them.
For Zarangollo, we cut zucchini in half so that it lies flat on the board and then slice it as evenly and thinly as possible. Rough or uneven pieces would take longer to cook and worsen the consistency of the dish. Add the zucchini slices to the pan.
Now patience is required. It takes a good 40 minutes (!) at this low temperature, maybe a little longer, until your onions and zucchinis have the perfect consistency. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and add a little salt.
The vegetables are perfect when the onions and zucchinis are almost melted and lightly browned, without much liquid left in the pan. Now break eggs and add them to the pan so that they cover as much of the vegetables as possible. Wait a few seconds until the egg whites start to set.
Now comes the trick for the perfect consistency: first stir only the egg white, and only at the very, very end the egg yolk, which may still be a little oozy in places, depending on your taste. Season lightly with pepper and salt – done!
Very simple and at the same time a little piece of art. The mix of nutty vegetables and egg is simply delicious.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients (for 2 people):
400 g zucchini
1 large onion
4 eggs
50 ml olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper from the Mill
