Out of all the Tyler recipes I have tried, his Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini is the one that I make the most often. It is simple, relatively quick, delicious and just the thing for a warm night. Even if you are not a fan of zucchini, you should give it a try. The way the paper thin slices soak up the olive oil and take on the flavor of the lemon and herbs is amazing. With the equally paper thin leek slices, the creamy cheese and a little salt and pepper, it is almost perfect. I make it whenever I see good zucchini, and luckily here, we can get good little local zucchini year-round. It is an elegant dish to serve to guests on a big platter, I eat it as a side dish with a nice piece of fish, or sometimes I just eat a small plate of it with a piece of good bread for lunch or dinner. I vary the herbs and cheese based on what I have on hand. If I don't have a leek, it still tastes great. Although I have posted it before (here), it was pre-Tyler Florence Fridays so I feel justified in posting it again and this time submitting it to TFF.
Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini
Eat This Book, Tyler Florence
(30 minutes / Serves 4-6)
2 zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds total), sliced into paper thin rounds
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as chervil, dill, chives and chive blossoms
1 young leek, white part only, sliced paper thin
1 cup ricotta cheese
fresh mint leaves for garnish
Shingle the zucchini slices into a single overlapping layer on a platter.
Dust with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a 3-count of olive oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the herbs. Now scatter the leek over.
Put that in the fridge for about 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to get into the zucchini. Then garnish with the ricotta cheese and mint leaves.
Notes/Results: Delicious! This time I wanted to use up some fresh chevre which was amazing, but this is equally good with ricotta or feta; really any soft, creamy cheese. For herbs this time I had parsley, mint, lemon thyme and dill, but again whatever you have will work. The "must" for this recipe is a mandoline to get both the zucchini and leek super thin--you want it like paper. Today was particularly warm and muggy so pulling the nice chilled plate of this out for lunch was a treat. I'll definitely keep making it.
You can see what recipes the other TFF members picked and what they thought of them at the TFF site here.
---------
Don't forget to stop by tomorrow and check out the package of goodies for Week #3 of my Giveaway. You won't want to miss a chance to win this one!
This looks like a perfect dish for a hot summer evening!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful presentation! This is one that I definitely want to try this summer, it will be perfect for our high-humidity august days.
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic.
I love flexible recipes like this! But I have a question: Is there a particular mandolin you would recommend? I am in the market for one, but the choices are overwhelming. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm convinced. I'll try it! Looks and sounds mouth-watering.
ReplyDeleteAnything with ricotta and zucchini and I am SO in. I bet this would be perfect as an appetizer for a crowd!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe will be so nice to have with the dog days of summer approaching. This would be perfect for a warm summer evening.
ReplyDeleteYou arranged this so beautifully! It looks very tasty and great for summer! Thanks for the info on the arepas and the masa. I bought some masa at the grocery and am planning on making the arepa soon. I hope Jackson likes them!
ReplyDeletethat looks so refreshing
ReplyDeleteOh my, I will be making this.
ReplyDeleteThe salad looks so good and your presentation is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI will be bookmarking this for fresh summer zucchini! Looks absolutely perfect!
ReplyDeleteMaggie--I had a old box one that just wasn't working well and did some research on them. I ended up going with this one--a handheld Oxo for $20.00
ReplyDeletehttp://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?a=b&item=59397
Oxo has some good counter ones that were rated really well too, but due to space issues I felt like this would fit my needs better. It works like a charm on everything I have tried it on so far.
As good as that dish looks, I think you'd be justified posting it regularly! I'd love that with the chevre.
ReplyDeleteNancy
I've been thinking of not making zucchinni very much any more and now this lovely post has me reconsidering the notion!
ReplyDeleteEverything you make always looks so good! Love the step by step too.
ReplyDeleteThis would be so good in July when it's 109 degrees in the shade!
Event though I'm not very fond of zucchini - I think I would like this. The zucchini is so thin and really just a vehicle for scooping up the delicious toppings. Your presentation is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of zucchini, but this does look interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazingly good, and good for you too. Have to try it sometime, after I buy a mandoline.
ReplyDeleteI knew I wanted to fix this...now I'm positive! Thanks for sharing your experience with it!
ReplyDeleteHow pretty!! Now if I could only get my husband to TRY zucchini.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I even knew that zuchinni could be eaten raw! This sounds like it was be awesome with the chevre - one of my favotire cheese of all time!
ReplyDeleteI've made a similar salad before, and it's perfect for the hot weather - which we have now!
ReplyDeletethis sounds perfect for summer!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so refreshing! I can't wait to try it (especially now that my herbs are finally coming up!)
ReplyDeletesounds refreshing and delicious. and it looks beautiful too.
ReplyDelete