Zucchini Ribbons With Mint Food

ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH MINT

Steps:

• Using a sharp-shaped vegetable peeler, peel zucchini lengthwise. To cut ribbons, hold the zucchini in one hand and peeler in the other, peel long, wide strips lengthwise. Once it becomes hard to handle, place zucchini, cut side down, on board; continue peeling. Transfer to a large bowl; toss with coarse salt. Let sit until zucchini releases some of its liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour off accumulated liquid; blot zucchini dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together fresh lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and ground pepper. Pour mixture over zucchini. Add mint leaves and red onion; toss gently, and serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH HERBED BUTTER

Steps:

• Slice the zucchini into long ribbons 1/16-inch thick using a mandoline slicer.
• Add the butter and oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots then the zucchini in two batches and toss through the hot butter and oil, using tongs, until soft, a good 4 to 5 minutes. Add the basil, parsley and lemon zest at the very end. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper and stir. Transfer to a serving bowl.

SEA SCALLOPS WITH ZUCCHINI RIBBONS AND MINT-CHIVE OIL

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-high fire. If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. (Or you can use wooden toothpicks.)
• For the scallops: Slice the zucchini lengthwise on a mandoline into thin slices, about 1/8- inch thick. When you get to the seedy center, rotate the zucchini 1/3 turn and continue to shave slices until you hit seeds. Give the zucchini a final 1/3 turn and shave off the remaining slices. (You want to end up with the same number of zucchini slices as you have scallops.) Discard the seedy center. Wrap a zucchini ribbon around the circumference of each scallop. Thread 2 to 3 scallops per skewer or 1 per toothpick.
• For the dressing: Whisk the mint, chives, orange juice, 2 tablespoons oil, limoncello, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Cut up the tomatoes, season them with salt and black pepper to taste, and divide them among 4 plates.
• Brush scallops with oil and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Grill, turning to cook both sides, until zucchini and scallops are cooked through and have distinct grill marks, about 8 minutes total. Divide the scallops evenly among the plates, drizzle scallops and tomatoes with the dressing, and serve hot or at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI AND WHITE BEAN CAESAR

Steps:

• Tear ½ small loaf crusty bread (such as country-style, ciabatta, or baguette) into 1" pieces (you should have about 4 cups). Heat ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bread and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Whisk together 2 large egg yolks*, 2 large garlic cloves, finely grated, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, and 3 tsp. Dijon mustard in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, starting drop by drop and increasing to a steady stream. (To keep the bowl from sliding as you whisk, set inside a snugly fitting saucepan or wrap a damp kitchen towel around base of bowl to stabilize.) Whisk until mixture is emulsified and achieves a consistency between heavy cream and mayonnaise. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor, first pulsing egg yolk mixture together, then running the motor while you gradually stream in oil.)
• Finely chop 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, then sprinkle with salt and use the side of your knife to mash into a paste; scrape into egg yolk mixture. Add 1½ oz. Parmesan, finely grated, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and lots of pepper; whisk to combine. Taste dressing and season with more salt and pepper if needed (dressing should be pretty assertive-we're about to add lots of bread, zucchini, and beans).
• Place croutons, 1½ lb. zucchini (about 6 medium), shaved into ribbons lengthwise with a vegetable peeler, and one 15.5-oz. can white beans (such as cannellini, butter, or navy), rinsed, patted dry, in a large bowl; drizzle with dressing and toss gently to coat.
• Divide salad among plates and top with more Parmesan and lemon zest, season with more pepper, and drizzle with more oil if desired. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over. *Raw egg is not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems...or people who don't like raw eggs. Just use coddled egg yolks instead if needed.

ZUCCHINI AND FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to BROIL setting.
• Cut the zucchini in half crosswise, then cut into 1/2" slices, lengthwise.
• In large serving bowl, place the mint and green onion.
• In separate small glass bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and stir well.
• On a baking sheet place the zucchini so that they do not overlap. Baste the zucchini slices with some of the dressing.
• Broil for about 3-4 minutes or until golden.
• Turn zucchini slices over, baste with more dressing and broil another 2-3 minutes or until brown and crispy.
• Watch carefully to make sure the zucchini does not burn!
• Toss the cooked zucchini slices gently with the mint and green onions. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional dressing. Serve warm.

LEMONY ZUCCHINI RIBBONS

Steps:

• For dressing, in a small bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients. Using a vegetable peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices; arrange on a serving plate., To serve, drizzle with dressing and toss lightly to coat. Top with cheese.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI RIBBONS

Steps:

• Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high (450 to 600 degrees). Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it with a tightly folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil and drawn across the bars of the grate with tongs. If using bamboo skewers, soak in cold water.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon barbecue rub and lemon zest, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
• Cut off and discard the ends of the zucchini. Using a mandolin outfitted with a finger guard, thinly slice one zucchini lengthwise into slices scant 1/8-inch thick. You can also use a chef's knife to cut slices lengthwise just shy of 1/8-inch thick. (Try folding your first or second strip. If it breaks at the fold, it means it's too thick.) Lay the slices flat on a sheet pan. Lightly brush the tops with enough barbecue butter to lightly coat and lightly sprinkle with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons barbecue rub.
• Fold a zucchini slice into an accordion shape (like multiple Ws or ribbon candy) and thread it onto a metal or soaked bamboo skewer. Continue threading until all the slices from the zucchini are on the skewer. Slice, brush, season and skewer the remaining zucchini the same way. You should wind up with 6 skewers.
• Arrange the zucchini kebabs, skin sides down, on the grate. Grill (covered if using a gas grill), basting with any remaining barbecue butter and turning to evenly brown, until singed at some of the edges, 1 to 2 minutes per side (4 to 8 minutes in all). Season with salt if needed and serve.

MARINATED ZUCCHINI WITH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On two large rimmed baking sheets, toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until zucchini are tender and undersides are browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
• On a serving plate, sprinkle zucchini with minced garlic and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and white-wine vinegar. Let stand 1 hour (or refrigerate, up to overnight; bring to room temperature before serving). To serve, sprinkle with torn mint leaves.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI RIBBONS

Steps:

• Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices using slicer. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.
• Add half of zucchini to garlic oil and sauté, turning and stirring frequently, until just tender but not golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a platter using tongs.
• Heat remaining tablespoon oil, then sauté and season remaining zucchini in same manner and transfer to platter. Sprinkle zucchini with zest and toss gently using tongs.

ZUCCHINI WITH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Heat 2 large roasting pans in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the zucchini with the olive oil and crushed red pepper.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Spread the zucchini on the hot pans and roast for 30 minutes without stirring, until the rounds are tender and their bottom are golden.
• Transfer to a platter, garnish with mint and serve.