Young summer squashes of any sort grill rather well, but better if you salt them first, so that they relax rather than harden over the heat. As soon as they are lifted off the bars, I toss them in dressing, keeping them moist and silky. A side dish, and very good with mozzarella or feta.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 2 to 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wipe the zucchini and slice thinly along their length. I like to make them no thicker than 1/8 inch (3mm). Put them in a colander in the sink. Grind over a little salt and leave for half an hour. Prepare the grill. Once they are covered with little beads of moisture—as if they have broken out in a flop sweat—pat them dry and put the slices on the grill. Let them brown lightly in stripes on the underside, then turn them over and brown the other side.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Grate the zest from the lemon into a mixing bowl. I do this finely and lightly, as any white pith will make the dressing bitter. Add the lemon juice, then beat in the olive oil with a fork or small hand whisk. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Coarsely tear the basil leaves, depending on their size—I like to leave small ones intact. Lightly crush them in the hand to release the oils, then add them to the dressing.
Step 3
As each slice of zucchini becomes ready, drop it into the dressing and mix gently so that the slices become completely soaked. Set aside for ten minutes for the flavors to marry and the vegetables to soften slightly.
