One of the most inspirational cookbooks I’ve purchased in the past few years was Ottolenghi’s Plenty and one of my favorite recipes in the whole gorgeous book is An Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad. I love to make it deep in the Summer as an alternative to Caprese. Plenty is a vegetarian cookbook full of gorgeous vegetable centered dishes. I’ve enjoyed many of the recipes or used them as inspiration to create my own veggie-centric dishes. I have to say, the only downside is some of the recipes do seem particularly well-tested, but in terms of brilliant ideas, Plenty can’t be beat. And this particular recipe is perfect and ready to go, especially in the summer. The genius of this Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad is recognizing that basil is so delicious and abundant in July and August that there’s no reason to use it as an herb or an adornment. Skip the lettuce altogether and eat more basil in my Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad. It doesn’t hurt to add a special cheese like the pepper laced pecorino I have pictured above and lots of crunchy toasted hazelnuts. If you have the luxury of a garden full of basil and zucchini, you will especially appreciate this An Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad.
- 4 medium zucchinis; halved then cut diagonally
- ½ cup hazelnuts; whole preferred
- a block of good Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, Pepato
- a big bunch of basil
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Heat a grill pan medium high. You can use an outdoor grill, but watch the heat, zucchinis are fragile and you don’t want a lot of char or to cook these all the way through.
- Cut the zucchinis in half, then diagonally. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Grill each side just enough to get grill marks but the zucchini are still firm.
- Let cool in a large salad bowl.
- With the back or your knife or the bottom of a bowl, or any hard surface, whack the hazelnuts to crack them open. I used the little metal bowl pictured.
Toast in the oven or in a pan on the stove to enhance the flavor. - Wash and dry the basil.
- Place on top of the zucchini.
- Top with the hazelnuts and shave the cheese over the top with a vegetable peeler. I used pepato, a semi-firm sheep's milk cheese with whole black peppercorns in it.
- This salad is a way to enjoy zucchini and basil season.
