So when my neighbor brought over some freshly picked zucchini from her garden I first considered grilling it on the gas grill I just had to have (such things one buys after experiencing a blizzard with three days of no heat and no power).The thought of grilling on a hot day was not something I wanted to do. And the idea of making a zucchini cake or bread meant heating up the house. Not wanting the zucchini to go to waste, I remembered a recipe I hadn't made in awhile. It was a salad made of fresh, raw zucchini and asparagus and called a crudi. Crudi or crudo literally means 'raw' and is a way of preparing both fish and vegetables using a high end extra-virgin olive oil and some citrus. When Giada DeLaurentiis made this recipe awhile back, I wasn't sure if I would like the taste of raw zucchini and raw asparagus (unless there was a creamy Caesar dressing to dip it into). But the thinly sliced vegetables tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, some salt and pepper were absolutely delicious, refreshing, and a great change of pace from a salad using lettuce as its' base. Certainly so much healthier as well.
All I needed to make the crudi was the asparagus. Fortunately there are two amazing seasonal markets in town selling some great locally grown produce. Unfortunately, I did not just buy some asparagus but walked away with a bouquet of some irresistible Dahlias, a baguette, some garlic, and some tomatoes. I have a tendency to get distracted in these markets. There were a few more things that looked appealing but one needs a reason to go back, right?
The too thin or too thick asparagus does not work in this recipe. It needs to be a somewhere 'in the middle of thickness' asparagus as it needs to be cut thinly on the diagonal. In the making of this crudi I have never done a quick (as in 2 to 3 minutes) blanching on the asparagus before. You could if you wanted, but you really do not have to, you really don't want to.
A vegetable peeler and a knife are the only tools you need for this recipe. The zucchini is trimmed at the ends and then with a vegetable peeler you make long, thin strips. Because the skin of the zucchini is not removed the strips of the zucchini look like ribbons of white with green edges. So this dish is not just delicious, it is beautiful.
Once you have prepared the vegetables, the dressing is assembled. Using the best extra-virgin olive you can find (my favorite is Frankies 457) or the best tasting extra-virgin olive oil of your choice, is critical in this dressing. You want it to be light, yet rich in flavor. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, some Kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper are all mixed in with the extra-virgin olive oil. These four ingredients create an incredibly flavorful dressing for the asparagus and zucchini.
Once tossed together the salad is plated on a platter and shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese are added. The sharpness of the cheese is a perfect compliment to the salad.
This salad is best served after it has been tossed with dressing. Because the Zucchini and Asparagus Crudi does not take long to prepare you might consider making it all summer long. Especially if you or your neighbors are growing zucchini (and this could be a year for a bumper crop of zucchini).
Zucchini and Asparagus Crudi (slightly adapted from a recipe created by Giada DeLaurentiis)
Ingredients
2 medium sized zucchini (ends trimmed)
1 bunch of asparagus (ends trimmed) - semi-thick asparagus works best
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (highly recommend Frankies 457)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from one small lemon)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce of shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
Directions
1. Using a vegetable peeler, slice long strips of zucchini.
2. Cut the asparagus thinly, on a diagonal
3. Combine the sliced zucchini and asparagus in a bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt and pepper. Pour over vegetable and toss.
5. Transfer mixture to a platter. Add shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
I have shared before there were mostly canned vegetables served at the dinner table of my youth. Asparagus was one of those vegetables. It wasn't until I was out of college that I tasted what perfectly cooked asparagus actually tasted like. And it was not the mushy canned asparagus served at our dinner table. I remember the first time I made fresh asparagus at a dinner for my husband's family. My mother-in-law actually liked it. Unbeknownst to me she asked my husband how I made it. He shared that I had brought water to a boil and submerged the asparagus for approximately 12 to 14 minutes. When he shared this with me, I said the asparagus wasn't cooked that long, just somewhere between 6 to 8 minutes. This comment was immediately followed by 'you need to call her and tell her you gave her the wrong information'. To that he said 'my mom has been cooking asparagus for up to 20 minutes for the last 30 years (replicating the texture of canned asparagus is my guess), so you don't take someone who has been cooking it for 20 minutes to somewhere between 6 and 8 minutes the first time as its' too much of a change for them.' And my response started something like 'but....'. But then I saw the wisdom in those words, the wisdom that not everyone can make such drastic changes in their cooking (or in their lives) too quickly. Sometimes they need to do it gradually.
We all fall somewhere along the continuum of loving/embracing or disliking/avoiding change in our personal and professional lives. Where we fall can be influenced by context, our prior experiences and/or ability to be open to possibility. When faced with change our energies can be directed to sabotaging it or figuring how to make it make it work. We may never know where the change that lies before us will take us or how it could affect our lives unless we 'take that leap of faith'.
