A simple and elegant salad that tosses lightly grilled zucchini ribbons with toasted walnuts, Pecorino cheese in a lemony vinaigrette.
Is everyone drowning in zucchinis yet?
I wish I were one of you. I have a lot of zucchini plants and they are only just starting to produce zucchinis….smallish and totally wonky looking zucchinis, but they taste amazing. That’s what counts, right?
In preparation for zucchini-palooza, which will be happening in a few short weeks, {I hope!}, I have been thinking up ways to use zucchini. Like in a burger. Last summer I put them in cheddar & cornmeal waffles and triple chocolate donuts. Nom nom nom.
A lot of zucchini recipes {like the ones I just listed} try to ‘hide’ the zucchini. Sneak-it-in-so-your-kids-don’t-realize-they-are-eating-veggies kind of recipes.
Well today I have a recipe that actually features the zucchini.
I am not allowed to use the oven right now, official orders from Ben. It is HOT, as in 33°C out…{that’s 91 in ‘American’
Basically every meal so far this week has been raw or grilled, and this salad fits the bill perfectly.
This salad is such a breeze to prep…as salads should be!
Fresh zucchini ribbons are grilled for a minute or so, to the point of being a tad softer, but not limp. I liked the lightly crunchy texture that they had, and I don’t think anyone likes mushy, limp zucchini.
Next toasted walnuts are added; you can either bake them in the oven or heat them in a pan until lightly browned. The walnuts bring the crunch factor to the salad; I can’t seem to make a salad without nuts in them…just love that nutty flavor and crunch!
I added shaved Pecorino Romano, you can use Parmesan if you wish. The cheese brings some salt to the mix, and…well…it’s cheese. Any excuse for cheese on/in/over my vegetables!
I whipped up a super simple lemony vinaigrette that went oh-so-perfectly with all of the zucchini-walnutty-cheesey awesomeness that was already happening in my bowl. Using lemon zest brings an ultra-lemony flavor to the dressing without bringing that sourness that lemon juice can bring. White wine vinegar brings the zing, maple syrup brings a touch of sweetness {feel free to sub in honey, I had run out}, and voila!
Enjoy!
5.0 from 3 reviews Grilled Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Walnuts and Pecorino
- 3-4 medium zucchinis
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ground pepper
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup shaved Pecorino Romano or Parmesan {roughly; add to taste}
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup {or honey}
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- Pre-heat barbecue over medium-high heat.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini into 'ribbons', discarding the seedy center.
- Toss ribbons in olive oil to coat, then season with ground pepper.
- Working in multiple batches of 8 or so ribbons at a time, arrange on the grill. Grill for a minute or so {depending on the temperature of your BBQ} until zucchinis are lightly marked. They should be slightly softer but not limp. Continue until all zucchini ribbons have been grilled.
- Toss ribbons in vinaigrette and top with walnuts and Pecorino
