If you were to rank your top summer produce, I would guess zucchini is prob gonna end up close to the bottom of that list. It really never gets any respect. It will always be outshined by tomatoes, corn, peaches, any melon, asparagus, you know where I’m going with this. I get it, it’s kinda bland, and generally there is just such as excess of it, so it’s just whatever.
But I do really like zucchini, and Ry will bring home quite the assortment of other similar summer squashes, so I decided that this would be the summer I try and give zucchini the respect I suspect it deserves. I also thought that rather than have it waste away in the fridge until it was just some obscure shriveled object that maybe once resembled something you could eat, I might as well cook with it.
So, first task was trying to get an easy recipe together that I wouldn’t get sick of eating, or making. And something where I actually had most, if not all, the ingredients on hand. So my solution, grill it, drown it in olive oil, top with cheese and shower it in plenty of basil. Done.
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I also thought that rather than have it waste away in the fridge until it was just some obscure shriveled object that maybe once resembled something you could eat, I might as well cook with it.
Honestly you can use just about any grill-able veg for this recipe, but I have to say the zucchini is a really great base. This whole preparation is super quick, and goes great with some pasta on the side, or even just some grilled bread, maybe rubbed with garlic while it’s still hot. Think crispy bread, smear of fresh ricotta, topped with grilled zucchini, lots of olive oil. You get it.
I completely recommend this with not just your typical green zucchini, but some of that lovely yellow summer squash you see around, or even those cool looking patty pan squashes. Eggplant. Asparagus. Peaches! Just get whatever looks good, grill it and top it. And make sure to tell me about it in the comments below.
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Grilled Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 C olive oil
- salt
- 1 C fresh ricotta whole milk
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 C basil
- pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice your zucchini. You’re aiming for about 1/8” thick slices here, but honestly go as thin as you have the patience for, it’s not that big a deal.
- Generously salt and oil your slices.
- Get a grill heated and lay down your zucchini slices. Grill till they’re tender and have some nice char marks on either side.
- Once they’re done, pull them off the grill and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, scatter them over your serving plate in a fairly even layer. Then top with your ricotta, lemon zest and basil. Then to finish it all off, squeeze over the juice from about half of that lemon, more if you like, drizzle over a good bit of olive oil and finish with some flaked salt and fresh pepper. That’s it. Eat up!
