Show a fun side with squash or zucchini
Quick-cooking and delicately flavoured, yellow summer squash and zucchini are favourites in Mediterranean cuisines and perfect for a light side dish. To create a fresh, simple recipe, we started with very thinly sliced squash, using a peeler to make even “ribbons” and discarding the waterlogged seeds.
The ultrathin ribbons browned and cooked so quickly that they didn’t have time to break down and release their liquid, eliminating the need to salt them before cooking.
The cooked squash needed little embellishment — a quick, tangy vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and lemon, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley rounded out the flavours.
We like a mixture of yellow summer squash and zucchini, but you can use just one or the other. The thickness of the squash ribbons may vary depending on the peeler used. We developed this recipe with a peeler that produces ribbons that are 1/32 inch thick.
Steeping the minced garlic in lemon juice mellows the garlic’s bite; do not skip this step. To avoid overcooking the squash, start checking for doneness at the lower end of the cooking time.
Sautéed Zucchini Ribbons
Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 20 minutes 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp juice 4 (6- to 8-oz.) zucchini or yellow summer squash, trimmed 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil • salt and pepper 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Combine garlic and lemon juice in large bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Using vegetable peeler, shave off three ribbons from one side of summer squash, then turn squash 90 degrees and shave off three more ribbons. Continue to turn and shave ribbons until you reach the seeds. Discard the core. Repeat with remaining squash.
Whisk 2 Tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and lemon zest into garlic-lemon juice mixture.
Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add summer squash and cook, tossing occasionally with tongs, until squash has softened and is translucent, three to four minutes. Transfer squash to bowl with dressing, add parsley, and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
From The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen. For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit americastestkitchen.com.