Lisa's Grilled Zucchini

The extra-virgin olive oil from Countess Lisa Contini Bonacossi's estate is a favorite of mine and an important element in Lisa 's great cooking. She has an easy going style, changing recipes according to what's in the garden and larder, and is hard to pin down about quantities. Lisa slices her zucchini with an electric meat slicer. I use the 3-mm. blade of my food processor to slice by hand, not with the machine.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Lisa's Grilled Zucchini

Serves 4 to 6

4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds total), trimmed

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves

fine sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Slice zucchini lengthwise 1/8 inch thick with a mandoline or other hand-held slicing device. Heat a lightly oiled well seasoned cast-iron ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot and grill zucchini slices in batches until grill marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Arrange zucchini slices as grilled in one layer on a platter and sprinkle with garlic and parsley. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.