I warned you that more zucchini recipes were coming. Because zucchinis. Just. Don’t. Stop. Just when you think you’ve harvested the last one, there’s another – small, cute and shiny – hiding under a big floppy leaf.
My favorite, laziest, easiest recipe is to eat them practically raw. They get marinated in lemon juice for an hour or two, all on their own. All it takes to make it appear as if this is a slightly more impressive dish than it really is, is a handful of fresh herbs, a few dollops of ricotta and the prettiest platter you’ve got.
Any kind of zucchini will do, and yellow ones are especially pretty. I used a variety called Bianche here, mixed with regular green. The trick is to use the smallest ones you have which are, of course, the firmest and most flavorful.
After that go wild. Any kind of herb will do: mint, chives, parsley, you name it. Ricotta too can be substituted with mozzarella or burrata or even greek yoghurt.
But do make sure you pull out your most, enormous, beautiful plate. Because, well, if you’re not going to be actually cooking the least you can do is set a pretty table.
zucchini + ricotta {salad}
Prep
Total
Yield 6
Ingredients
- 6 small zucchini
- 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
- juice from one lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt, pepper
- handful of fresh herbs (parsley and mint)
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into very thin slices.
- Lay the zucchini in one layer on a large platter.
- Pour the lemon juice on top, sprinkle with salt and gently toss.
- Let the zucchini sit in the lemon juice for at least an hour, or preferably two.
- To serve: drizzle with olive oil, taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Scatter herbs on top and then dollop with fresh ricotta.
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I LOVE this. The kids won’t go anywhere near it but who cares!
i will never eat enough zucchini 🙂 so keep ’em coming. i love them raw, like you, so this is wonderful AND i have some amazing fresh ricotta in the fridge!
And I just made some ricotta last night… Synergy!
How did you make the ricotta? This recipe sounds delicious!
I bought it! It’s from a local dairy up in Umbria.
Yes, true ricotta is made from whey — I used a cheater’s recipe that’s technically farmer’s cheese. It’s incredibly simple and delicious — and better than any ricotta I’ve found in the American supermarket. Can’t wait to try it with this beautiful zucchini! http://annmah.net/2014/07/22/homemade-ricotta/
I have to try your recipe. Maybe this weekend!
How do you make ricotta?
Cant wait to try this!
We all love zucchini.
Thanks for your ongoing creativity!
What is a great tasting ricotta receipe please.
All yr stories and receipes are great enjoying all of them.
Cheers stef
I’ve never made ricotta at home, mostly because it’s easy to get here in Italy. I know there are lots of recipes for making it, although it’s not true ricotta. True ricotta is made from the whey that is left over after making cheese. The whey is recooked (ricotta) and that becomes ricotta. Melissa Clark did a great video last year: http://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000001462251/ricotta.html
And some more please. In the past 7 days we have had Zucchini soup, fried with pasta, veg bake (with zucchini), in salad, lasAgne, with osso buco and there are many many more to get through!
If you do a search on my blog for zucchini, you’ll find tons! http://www.elizabethminchilli.com/?s=zucchini
Made the salad with feta this evening. Really good and so simple. Thank you!
Yes, yes, yes! Girlfriends coming for dinner next weekend. This will be front and center on the menu. Thank you:)
I made this for dinner last night….It was fabulous. And it was hot/sticky here in Brooklyn so it was perfect for that kind of weather. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
That was fast!
Nice One! Looks great and I can’t wait to taste it. Thanks…p.s. your plate is chipped? 🙂
I would be hardpressed to find a plate in my cupboard that isn’t chipped.
This sounds wonderful! I would love to make this dish using my Spiralizer to create zucchini pasta then dress with the fresh ricotta and lemon dressing. Nice refreshing dish!
Dare I ask what a Spiralizer is?
Hi, Elizabeth,
I came across this recipe last week and made it for my book club friends yesterday (24 July 2016). It was a great success! So simple to prepare, and I love your recommendation of using the prettiest platter to present it. 🙂
Before I went to Rome last October for the very first time, I bought and thoroughly read your “Eating Rome.” It was a tremendous help, even though I was with my brother Philip, who knows Rome very well, and 15 of his friends from Ireland, most also know Rome well. I definitely want to go back there in a couple of years.
I very much enjoy your newsletter/blog and have recommended it to friends. It was originally recommended to me by a photographer friend from this area (Boston, United States) who lived in Italy for a number of years. I live in the Boston area, but am originally from Dublin (Ireland).
Best wishes,
Anne
Thank you Anne, for such a nice note!! So glad that the zucchini salad turned out well, of course, but more thrilled to hear all you have to say about my work. It means so much to get such great feedback. Both about the blog as well as my book. Grazie!!!!