Friday, May 28, 2010

Grilled Zucchini with Caprese Salad and Rocket (Arugula) Salsa: A Fresh & Tasty Side Dish, Ready for Summer

This is another simple, quick and very tasty Jill Dupleix recipe from her new column in Delicious magazine. (I made her "Curried Egg" Garden Salad from the same column last week). This Grilled Zucchini with Caprese Salad and Rocket (Arugula) Salsa is a great side dish and a perfect way to ring in summer and liven up plain zucchini. I used some bocconcini cut in half, along with some very sweet local grape tomatoes and basil from my CSA box. The small zucchini (pretty much a year-round veggie here), baby arugula and parsley were also all local--which makes me happy.


Dupleix says, "The flavours of zucchini and tomato with fresh cheese and a zippy herb sauce make it feel as though summer is never going to end. Make this a main meal with a platter of prosciutto or grilled fish."


Grilled Zucchini with Caprese Salad and Rocket (Arugula) Salsa
by Jill Dupleix, Delicious Magazine Volume 7 / Issue 3
(Serves 4)

4 zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthways
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
2 x 120g (about 4 ounces) buffalo mozzarella balls, drained, chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves

Rocket (Arugula) Salsa
1 cup rocket (arugula) leaves, stems removed
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 Tbsp tiny salted capers, rinsed, drained
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

For the rocket salsa, place ingredients in a food processor, season with sea salt and pepper, then process until smooth. Loosen with a little water. Set aside.

Preheat chargrill or barbecue to medium-high. Brush zucchini with oil and grill, turning once, for 5 minutes until lightly charred. Arrange zucchini on plates and top with tomato and mozzarella. Season, then drizzle with rocket salsa. Top with basil leaves.

Per serving: 1672 kj (400 cal), Fat 34.9g (sat fat 12.2g), protein 13.5g, carb 5.8g, fiber 4.9g, chol 30mg, sodium 275mg.


Notes/Results: Really good! What's not to like? The zucchini gets new life topped with the caprese-style salad and the peppery (from the arugula) and tangy (from the red wine vinegar and capers) salsa. (Although I do think it is actually more of a pesto than a salsa). It's a fresh-tasting and easy side dish that pairs well with grilled meat, poultry or fish. I served it with some simple lamb patties (ground lamb mixed with grated onion, garlic, chopped cilantro, mint and parsley, cumin, salt and pepper), and it made a great light dinner for a warm night. I will make this again.


I am sending this one to Side Dish Showdown, the monthly event hosted by my friend Reeni at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Reeni will be rounding up all of this month's fabulous sides at her blog after the end of the month (which is in just a few days--yikes! Where does the time go?!), so stop by and check them all out.



Happy Aloha Friday!

10 comments:

  1. love the colors! this must have been yummy too!

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  2. There is nothing I like more than a good caprese salad, especially if it has a lamb burger to go with it! What awesome summer food!

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  3. Beautiful side dish, Deb! This is an interesting twist on caprese salad - love the idea of that aruglula salsa/pesto.

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  4. Great way to ring in the summer, Deb. Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies and I love the sound of the arugula salsa with the yummy capers. Sounds like a great meal!

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  5. What a great dish! This sounds so fresh and summery.

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  6. Love the combo of zucchini and caprese salad, yum!

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  7. It looks like a wonderful accompaniment to anything that comes off a grill. This is wonderful summer food. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  8. Deb, that surely looks very very tempting, I love the color scheme there :)

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  9. I love these kind of salads at this time of the year!

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  10. What a delicious twist on caprese salad! I love the sound of the arugula salsa - I bet it would be great on many things. Thanks for sending it to the Showdown!

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