On rainy days like today that cute little zucchini that you decided to leave on the vine for just one more day will now resemble a baseball bat when you go to the garden to look for it tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong, I love zucchini. I dream of zucchini in the winter and bemoan that I have to pay $1.29 or more a pound for a vegetable I had buckets of only a few months ago. Our current glut of zucchini/yellow squash called for a new recipe. This summer we have gone the usual route and sautéed them with garlic and basil, cut large ones like spaghetti and tossed them with pesto and even breaded and fried them, a throwback, and might I say a delicious one, from Joe’s childhood.
I decided as a change of pace this time to serve zucchini raw or crudo as the Italians say. Which is quite apropos since many of the summer squash varieties we grow are from Italian varieties. One of the characteristics I appreciate about some Italian varieties is that they grow longer, not fatter if they are left on the vine for a longer period of time. I use a special peeler for the zucchini spaghetti-like noodles that I toss with pesto, this recipe requires nothing fancier than an everyday vegetable peeler. Wash and trim the ends from your squash. Our yellow variety has a bumpy skin that I peel off first and discard. It’s easy to make several flat planes to peel off thin ribbons of squash. Just stop peeling before you get to the seeds.
The recipe called for some torn basil leaves. To intensify the lemon flavor in the salad, I harvested some of our Mrs. Burns’ lemon basil. It was first grown by, surprise, Mrs. Burns in southwest New Mexico as early as the 1920’s. Mrs. Burns’ is an heirloom variety (grown prior to 1940) that is taller and has larger leaves than other lemon basil varieties. Mrs. Burns’ lemon basil is also known for it’s intense lemon fragrance and flavor.
The tender squash ribbons are combined with some creamy and salty feta and summer squashes’ most frequent companion, basil. Though the Mrs. Burns variety has larger leaves that most lemon basil varieties, they are still small enough to add whole leaves to the dish. The salad is tossed with a simple dressing of fresh lemon juice and a flavorful olive oil and topped with crunchy sunflower seeds. The salad is light with a satisfying crunch. It’s quick to assemble and visually pleasing, especially if you use both yellow and green squash. Try other combinations with the ribbons, halved cherry tomatoes and some Parmesan, corn and avocado, the possibilities are limitless. A different and healthy way to use the bounty of the garden at it’s peak.
Shaved Summer Squash with Sunflower Seeds
Bon Appetit August 2013
Serves four
Ingredients
- 2 large or 4 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash
- 2T fresh lemon juice
- 2T extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 to 1/3c crumbled feta
- 1/4 c basil leaves, torn if large, left whole if very small
- 2T salted, roasted sunflower seeds
Directions
- Shave squash lengthwise with a vegetable peeler, stopping before you get to the seeds.
- Toss squash ribbons with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with feta, basil leaves and sunflower seeds.
