July 26, 2010
In March, when Peggy Markel was cooking in my kitchen, she provided a bundle of Moroccan recipes that we never had time to try. This salad of zucchini and mint is a version I adapted from one of those recipes. It’s fresh and bright and a terrific side dish to a summer meal.
About 2 cups of chopped zucchini
1 teaspoon of cumin, toasted
1 small clove of garlic*, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of mint, chopped fine
Salt to taste
Cook the zucchini for 5 minutes in simmering salted water. While the zucchini cooks, toast the cumin in a small dry pan until it releases fragrance.
When the zucchini is done, plunge it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and keep the zucchini firm. Once it has cooled completely, remove the zucchini from the ice bath and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, stir in the zucchini, and serve cold.
*Slicing garlic: I use my mandolin to slice the garlic. It creates thin, even slices, but watch your digits.
