Zucchini & Tomato Salad with Basil & Balsamic Vinegar

Fried zucchini is the best zucchini; we all agree on that. Even if you are eating it as a salad. Fresh tomatoes are finally showing up and the basil is big and bushy. Garlic is harvested and curing in the shed... so here they are; the definitive flavours of late mid-summer.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time

2 medium zucchini
12 to 16 cherry tomatoes
OR 4 to 6 salad tomatoes
2 sprigs (about 8 or 12 large leaves) fresh basil
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Wash, trim, and slice the zucchini. Wash and de-stem the tomatoes, and cut them in half if they are cherry tomatoes or in slices of about the same size as the zucchini slices if they are salad tomatoes. Wash and dry the basil, and shred it finely. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini slices in a single layer until well-browned on each side. Remove them to a plate lined with paper towel as they are cooked. You will likely need to cook them in 2 or 3 batches. Sprinkle the garlic over the last half dozen or so slices in the pan, and let them cook for just a minute - don't let them brown. Be sure to scrape all the bits out with the zucchini when they are done.

When all the zucchini slices are done, blot them well and start layering them on the serving plate, sprinkling them with the shredded basil leaves, and salt and pepper. Interleave the tomato slices with the zucchini slices as you go. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil over each layer. Serve at once. The zucchini should not be hot, but it should still be a little warm. And the tomatoes, of course, are never let anywhere near a refrigerator and will be at least room temperature. If they are still a little warm from the garden, so much the better.




Last year at this time I made Black Bean, Corn, & Tomato Salad with Avocado.

Posted in: Ontario Food