Instructions: Stir the marinade ingredients together in a 3 to 4 quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan, bring to a boil, partially cover the pan and simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Using a fine sieve, strain the marinade into a large bowl, pressing down hard on the ingredients with the back of a spoon to squeeze out their juices before discarding them. Return the marinade to the saucepan and taste it. To be effective, the marinade should be somewhat overseasoned. (Yields about 5 cups.)

Bring the marinade to a boil and add the onions; cover and cook over moderate heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the onions are just tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. With a slotted spoon, remove the onions to a large glass or stainless steel baking dish.

Add the zucchini and yellow squash to the simmering marinade and cook slowly uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are barely done, then put them in the baking dish with the onions. Finally, add the green pepper strips and string beans out of the pan and add them to the other vegetables. Taste and season the marinade and pour it over the vegetables, making sure that they are all at least partly covered with the hot liquid.

Place the baking dish in the refrigerator to cool the vegetables. Then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and let the vegetables marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours B or overnight if possible B before serving them. To serve, lift the vegetables out of the marinade with a slotted spoon.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

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