the zucchini chronicles

More monsters coming out of the garden, so this time I did my riff on a raw zucchini salad with lime, chile, tomatoes, and roasted peanuts. It is a riff on a recipe I found on the food network site. Slicing zucchini into thin ribbons on a mandolin, salting them, rinsing them well, and squeezing them dry in a towel creates luscious ribbons that are supple and tender, reminiscent of perfectly cooked home-made pasta.

the perfect tool for razor thin slices of zucchini--next step,

an hour in a salt scrub

This salad is a wonderful side for an easy grilled chicken breast or a simple piece of fish. The dressing is a quick whisk together of a couple of tablespoons of fish sauce (don't worry, it does not end up tasting like fish--fish sauce is a wonderful ingredient for bringing out the rich flavors of other ingredients), fresh lime juice from a couple of limes, minced hot red chili (fresh if ya got 'em, but dried would work) to taste, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and a minced clove of garlic all whisked together. If you want an even silkier mouth-feel, add a tablespoon or two of peanut oil. Take a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, slice them in half, and put them in the dressing to marinate.

give the tomatoes a few minutes to marinate while you toast the peanuts

One step I never skip when cooking with nuts is toasting them. It only takes a minute or two, albeit at close attention, to crisp the nuts significantly, and release their tantalizing aroma. Just use a dry pan and give them a toss or two over medium high heat.

simplicity itself--a bit of chopped cilantro, toasted chopped peanuts, 

and the dressing just before the tomatoes were tossed in

Rinse the excess salt off the zucchini ribbons, squeeze them dry in a kitchen towel, and toss them with the tomatoes. Plate, garnish with the peanuts and cilantro, and enjoy a bite of summer.

a beautiful salad that tasted as good as it looked

I served this salad with a simple piece of fish marinated with a little ginger and a sprinkle of soy. Along with a crisp white wine and a cool breeze on the patio, it was a perfect summer supper.