Zucchini Ribbon Salad

 

Not unlike Zucchini Wars, this recipe has made a few stops.  It came to me via Habibi’s person Glenn, who picked it up some where from CBS and a person named Tony Tantillo (we don’t know whose person he is).  Whoever wants to take responsibility is fine by me.  This is delicious and very simple to make.  According to Glenn, any shape of zucchini is fine, a peeler does the trick no matter what.  So… here we go.  Don’t be daunted by the length of this.  As usual, I’m trying to give you every detail in a simple way so that any beginners out there will be good to go!  “Bon Appetite!” from Pip’s person (that would be me).

Equipment

• Knife
• Small bowl and larger serving bowl
• Vegetable Peeler
• Zester
• Something to get the juice from your lemon
• Whisk (if you have one, otherwise let’s improvise using a jar with a tight lid)

Ingredients

• 2 large Radishes
• 1 medium Zucchini (or a couple of small ones- this is one of those non-precise recipes)
• 1/4 pound Spears of thin Asparagus (give or take)
• 1 Lemon
• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• Salt (kosher or better please) and Pepper (freshly ground if possible)

Method

• Wash your vegetables and the lemon
• Cut radishes into thin slices and place them in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes
• Cut asparagus at an angle into 1/4-inch pieces
• Using your peeler, make ribbons of the zucchini (you may want to discard the first peel, so that you don’t have one ribbon that’s all skin - also discard the ends)
• Use the zester on the lemon to get about a tablespoon of zest (again, you can ‘wing’ this)
• Drain the Radishes and combine all of the above in the larger bowl
• Juice the lemon and combine it with the Olive Oil in the small bowl adding the salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk the *!@# out of it, until it is emulsified (cloudy and fully mixed)
• Pour the lemon/oil mixture over salad and toss.
• Shave some Romano cheese over the salad and it’s time to eat!

Zucchini: My Little Courgette

Call it zucchini or courgette; both names are the diminutive for squash.  These are summer squashes, meaning that the skin is tender and edible, as are the seeds. Yet another case of wash and eat!  As you can see, size and shape can vary.  These little round courgettes (I’m feeling French) were snagged at the farmer’s market on the way to tango lessons (where I feel very Argentinean).

As usual, choose firm, unblemished squashes.  When it comes to zucchini, small (6-8 inches) will deliver more flavor.  This is the beginning of the season and at the moment; I’m enjoying them small and raw. 

Later on when Zucchini Wars start, the situation has been known to spin out of control. These guys can be very prolific and if you are lucky to live amongst people who grow zucchini, don’t be surprised to open your door to a bag of summer squash largess… which is your signal to drop a bag of your largess at someone else’s door and surprise another neighbor, and so on.

Grated, summer squash make terrific additions for batter breads and muffins.  They are also wonderful grilled. But it’s too hot for heat and raw zucchini salads are a snap to prepare.  Sylvia and I had a very tasty salad just the other night.  Sorry to be a little courgette, but I’m going to post the recipe next week (the garden beckons).  Be prepared with some zucchini (the long variety), a few radishes, some thin asparagus, a lemon and some Pecorino Romano.   Locate your vegetable peeler, zester and stay tuned for a very refreshing recipe.

Kirby Cucumbers and Sylvia’s Favorite Pickles

This is a Kirby, yesterday’s quick grab from the farmer’s market (along with some lovely round zucchini which are in the hopper for another entry).

Small (about 4-5 inches long) and firm, these are a member of the cucurbit family and a direct relative (as all cucumbers are) of watermelons.  Like watermelon these lovely little cucumbers are crisp, moist and refreshingly sweet.  These particular kirbys are sliced in preparation for Chinese Pickled Cucumber Salad, an easy recipe that is one of Sylvia’s favorites. That is the slices that are left…they are also terrific as is and part of this photograph has already been consumed!  The end bits were a little bitter (larger cucumbers have sweeter skin), but the slices were fine as is. Another case of instant satisfaction.  Delicious raw, great as pickles, what’s not to like?!  This recipe requires a little advanced thinking because it needs an over-night stay in the refrigerator.  If you can stop eating them as-is, it’s worth the wait. 

Adapted from Ken Hom’s Chinese Kitchen, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 12 oz of Kirby cucumbers  (about 4)
• 1 plus 1/2 Tablespoon of salt (kosher is best)
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of Chinese white rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons of sesame oil

Method

• Trim off the bitter ends of the cucumber and discard
• Thinly slice the remaining cucumber
• In a large bowl, toss the slices of cucumber with the salt and sugar
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

• When ready to serve, squeeze out the liquid (use your hands, best tools in the kitchen!)
• Toss the slices with the vinegar and sesame oil (you are allowed to use a spoon here!)

For color and punch, garnish with 2 fresh red chilies seeded and sliced (optional of course)

Fresh Garlic

Last week's 'try-something-new' purchase was too extravagant (large) for the usual kitchen photo spot.  These impressive stalks (elegantly seated on the deck) are Fresh Garlic.

This is what garlic looks like before the bulb is separated from the stem, and before it takes on the white papery outfit that we are so accustomed to.  

Originally intended for a pickling recipe, I ended up *braising these impressive fellows, serving them last night over salmon burgers.  They were milder than you might think and there are plenty left over for an omelet.  I’m also thinking that they would make a nice addition to mashed potatoes.  Certain to be at the farmer’s market again this week, I may get a few more stalks for this weekends’ grilling moment.  My guess is that they will keep good company with their fellow destined-for-the-grill-basket vegetables.

* Braising, in this case (although braising is most often mentioned regarding the preparation of meat) meant a quick sauté of the thinly sliced lower ends followed by some chicken broth and a tight lid.  Leaving them at a low simmer until tender and serving them as a garnish at room temperature was just the trick!