THE BOYS IN THE LAB LOVE Transformers, even though they’re both in their late twenties. (A lot of you have asked if they are twins, and the answer is no. But they do occasionally dress alike to the extent that I get them confused.) In a way, I’m into Transformers, too—when it comes to salad. I like it when ingredients for a salad can be turned into non-salad item, as we’ve explored here and here.
Today, I have a very delicious very quick salad that I came up with because I was in the mood for zucchini fritters, one of my very favorite ways of getting rid of the prolific vegetable back when I was living in the sticks. Everyone jokes about too many zucchini this time of the year, but too many zucchini is not a huge problem for me now that I’m living in Atlanta. Plus, I love zucchini so it was never really much of a problem at all.
But I’m not talking about zucchini that I grew myself back when I was living in rural Ashe County, NC. Yes, I had a great little raised kitchen garden, in a sunny spot between a meadow and a stream at bottom of a forested hill, my first summer of living in these particular mountains. I went down every day like Lisa Douglas until a gigantic black snake did, too. Terrifying! I went down a few more times, to get herbs and tomatoes, but I couldn’t shake off the image of this giant snake sunbathing between my plants. And that was the end of my vegetable gardening career. (Please don’t lecture me about how the black snake is my friend. If I pass out when I see you, you’re not my friend.)
But not growing zucchini in the country doesn’t mean you will not be burdened by zucchini, of course. People in my neck of the woods dropped off vegetables, flowers, freshly baked bread. It was nice. But every year it eventually turned into a kind of game of tag that grew ever more menacing. There was a woman who lived about 3 miles down a winding road from me, who always had an honor system stand with vegetables and flowers. But when the zucchini got going, it was a bad idea to stop or even slow down at her house, because she would practically throw zucchini at your car.
It takes two kinds of lettuce (🥬 + $$) to keep the Department of Salad alive. The best way to support us: Press the green button.
It’s the anniversary this month of my move here. I guess my instinct is still to prepare myself for the onslaught, because I went to the grocery and bought too many zucchini just so I could figure out what to do with them.
But both of these recipes are terrific even if you have to get in your car and get your zucchini at the grocer the way I do now. One is my own invention. It’s pretty and quick and delicious. So is the other, from Williams Sonoma Cooking at Home—although it’s essentially the same as my lemon-drenched mushroom salad at the end of one of the earliest issues of this newsletter, a salad I’ve been making forever. They both capitalize on the blank-slate quality of both zukes and button mushrooms, but also their wonderful texture and hints of mineral, nutty, vegetal flavor.
*RECIPE: Raw Zucchini Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Parmesan, and Sherry Vinaigrette
Serves 4
1 pound large (but not gigantic) zucchini (2 or 3), washed but unpeeled (you might need to scrub them gently with a vegetable brush if they feel gritty)
¼ cup walnut pieces
¼ cup slivered fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a potato peeler (as much as you like)
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Sherry Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Using a regular vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini into ribbons lengthwise; place these in a container in the fridge to keep them cold.
Toast your walnuts by arranging them in one layer in a dry sauté pan over medium high heat, tossing occasionally until they begin to give off a toasty aroma and darken a bit. This happens pretty fast. Quickly transfer them to a plate to cool. Break them into pieces or chop them roughly.
In a bowl, toss the zucchini ribbons with about half the Garlic Sherry Vinaigrette, being careful not to tear them. I used my hands, to keep the ribbons from sticking together. You want a lively jumble.
Arrange the ribbons in a fetching manner on a platter. Scatter the walnuts frivolously. Now decorate with the Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, as if you were unaware of all the horrors in this world, and slivered basil. Here, you may want to drizzle a bit more dressing all over. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and flakey sea salt, to taste.
For the Vinaigrette
1 small clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Place all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well until emulsified. Taste for salt, etc., and adjust. This makes about twice what you need for a pound of zucchini but you will surely make this salad twice.
*RECIPE: Baby Zucchini Salad with Mint
Serves 4
As I mentioned earlier, this is adapted from Williams Sonoma Cooking at Home, but I found I needed much less olive oil. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup, but I like a tart version with a higher lemon to oil ratio. It also calls for immersing the baby zucchini in a container of ice cubes and water for 2 hours in the fridge, to assure crispness and ease of slicing. I just put them in a bowl of ice and water for about 30 minutes after taking them out of the fridge. I mean, it’s not like I grew them and they were still warm from the sun.
8 baby zucchini (unpeeled; about 12 ounces), well chilled, sliced into thin coins (use your mandoline, if you have one)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, plus a few more leaves thinly slivered for garnish
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Arrange the zucchini coins on a pretty platter.
In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice and mint. Season with salt and cayenne (I used just a pinch of cayenne, but you could be a bit more liberal). Vigorously whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Pour the dressing over the coins, scatter with basil slivers, and serve immediately. Shower with flakey sea salt, if desired. (I desired.)
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🥬 ONE MORE THING We’ve gotten a start on PRINTABLE RECIPES! You’ll start finding downloadable PDF files (SEE THEM? ABOVE?) at the end of each recipe. We’re working backward, until we have them all done. CONFUSED? Check the archive if you lose track of your e-mailed newsletter.
🥬 🥬ALSO, I’M WONDERING: Do you follow me on Instagram? My feed is not a consistent array of uniformly styled photos of perfect food, which I know is what I’m supposed to offer. But I get too bored. So it includes videos of giant pandas loudly eating carrots and personal crap representative of my bad personality. I’d love to have you. Go here: Emily’s Instagram
🥬 🥬🥬 That’s It! We’re done here! As usual, paid subscribers should keep an eye peeled for another treat soon: those zucchini fritters and another quick but guest-impressing raw zucchini bauble. In the meantime, if you feel like sharing the Department of Salad with friends or family who deserve it, please do so with the buttons below. Thanks for reading.
Hilarious as always!
I never realized how much you look like Eva Gabor....