This past weekend the garden bloomed with plenty of bright green zucchinis and yellow squashes. They’re lovely grilled or baked into cakes, but I prefer mine fresh as a salad. I topped steamed asparagus and hericots verts, with spaghetti-like ribbons of squash. When I made a batch of this, I knew extra was going to be needed, because I have been adding it onto everything.
I just loved the way the roasted tomato pesto became the perfect dressing for a bed a delicately sliced summer squash. It brought out each lovely ingredient’s flavor, a flavor so distinctly homegrown. When you take the time and effort to take seeds, nourish them and ensure they grow into food, you taste the difference in vegetables’ taste. Reading The Third Plate has given me a greater sense of where my food comes from, and more importably the techniques used to get them onto our kitchens. So, I was proud of this simple dish, a lunch I quickly put together with ingredients picked from the garden a few steps from my kitchen.
Summer Squash Salad
Ingredients {Serves 2}
2 cups {about 1 medium} – Zucchini
2 cups {about 1 medium} – Yellow Squash
1 cup – Red Grape Tomatoes {halved}
2 ounces – Fresh Mozzarella {chopped into 1/2″ pieces|
3 small – Artichokes {halved, use a jarred brand with no salt}
1/4 cup – Fresh Parsley {chopped}
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons – Roasted Tomato Pesto {recipe here}
Recipe
Using a mandoline, or a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the zucchini and yellow squash into a medium bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, mozzarella, artichokes, and parsley. Season with salt, pepper and pesto, and toss together.
