We love our Zucchinis (otherwise known as Summer Squash) and Summer is the season to eat lots of them. At the Hare and Tortoise Kitchen we are becoming very creative on how we can consume this glorious fruit as we seem to have an endless supply of zucchini in the garden. They would have to be one of the easiest vegetables to grow and eat. A versatile vegetable (or some would argue fruit), it can be consumed semi-cooked. We like our zucchini served with some crunch therefore for this recipe we suggest that you make sure your grill pan is super hot before adding your zucchini.

Some additional tips… Summer squash is full of lots of good nutrients, including vitamin C. If you are growing them in your garden, pick them young, before the skin goes tough. When preparing the zucchini, leave the skin on, it is antioxidant rich!

Today, we present a simple Summer Zucchini salad recipe. It makes for a great side salad, or light summertime lunch. It’s best served on fresh crunchy bread. Enjoy!

What you will need:

2 medium zucchini, sliced

5-6 cherry tomatoes

1/2 small cucumber

30 grams soft goats cheese

Handful parsley

Handful mint

Handful basil

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs lemon juice

Salt & Pepper to season

How to prepare:

Slice the zucchini under 1 cm thick and sprinkle with salt.

Allow the zucchini to sit for 5 minutes. The zucchini will sweat a little, and begin to wilt slightly.

Heat a skillet / grill pan on high. Avoid the temptation to add oil to the pan. It is not needed. Once the skillet is hot, place the zucchini slices on to the pan. Lift each slice after minute or so, and reposition it on the pan, with the same side down. Allow to cook until you see grill marks, then turn it over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Gently remove the zucchini from the pan. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the dressing, finely chop the mint, parsley and basil. Place into a small bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper to season.

Arrange the grilled zucchini on a large plate and top with the cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and goats cheese. Pour over the dressing.

Serve.

 

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