It’s not zucchini week here on the Older Bolder Life, but I have to admit we’ve been enjoying the bounty of fresh zucchini coming in now in North Texas several days a week.
We’re still crunching through the latest batch of Quick Zucchini Dills I shared on Monday, and my lovely wife has been pestering me to grill up another recipe of this Grilled Summer Squash, Feta, and Pepper Salad from a few weeks back.
Here’s another fresh zucchini dish perfect for that handful of young, very tender, smaller zucchini you picked up at the farmer’s market and weren’t quite sure what do with – a Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Cashews and Ricotta Salata.
Of course don’t shave in that delicious cheese if you’re intolerant or hard-core, never venture off the trail Paleo, but you’ll be missing something here.
This happens to be another one of those recipes graced by a simple, tasty, and fresh vinaigrette-type dressing, and we think the red pepper flakes are essential to balancing out all the wonderful flavors here.
The mint is an almost surprising, and danged refreshing, flavor in the mix, as are the cashews (I’m sure other nuts will play, you’ll just need to experiment a bit.). And by the way, if you’re not familiar with ricotta salata, the saltier, aged, firmer-after-pressing version of fresh ricotta, you’re in for a treat…
3 small zucchini (roughly 1.5 pounds), trimmed, thinly sliced (see below)
1 cup mint leaves, torn
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews
5-6 ounces ricotta salata, shaved into very thin slices
Dressing
1/4 cup EVOO or avocado oil
2-3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp good Dijon mustard
1 tsp (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of good salt
First whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
Now thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise into wide, long ribbons; it’s a piece of cake with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline.
Place in a large bowl and coat with roughly 3/4 of the dressing, tossing gently so the ribbons don’t break. Now add the mint, cashews, and shavings of the ricotta salata you’ve shaved off with your vegetable peeler again. Again gently toss to combine, then drizzle with the remaining dressing.
Serve immediately, and enjoy.
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