Image this: It’s a ravishing summer time day and temperatures are hovering however turning on the oven seems like the worst thought. So what’s for dinner? Ina Garten has the reply. The longtime Barefoot Contessa host has a recipe for Contemporary Zucchini with Lemon and Mint she describes as “easy and delicious.” An added bonus? There’s no actual cooking concerned.
Ina Garten’s Contemporary Zucchini with Lemon and Mint is a ‘Modern Comfort Food’ recipe
The Meals Community star’s recipe is from her newest Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Garten’s the creator of 12 cookbooks and counting, the most up-to-date being Modern Comfort Food. The 73-year-old launched a group of consolation meals recipes together with one for Contemporary Zucchini with Lemon and Mint.
Seeing as the recipe is really easy to put together, it’s solely acceptable that Trendy Consolation Meals is the best cookbook Garten’s ever written.
“This was like the easiest book I’ve ever written,” she instructed NPR’s All Issues Thought-about in October 2020. “I sat down and thought about all of those flavors that we remember from childhood. And in each case, I just said, ‘OK, how can I make better tomato soup?’ So I did it with a little saffron and I did it with a splash of cream. So it was a little richer.”
Garten’s Contemporary Zucchini with Lemon and Mint has nearly every part one would possibly need in a summer time recipe. It’s mild, fast to make, requires no cooking, and contains seasonal elements.
“This zucchini dish is the simplest no-cook side dish to make in the summer with lemon, mint, and Parmesan,” Garten wrote in Trendy Consolation Meals. “It’s easy and delicious with grilled lamb or chicken and you don’t even need to turn the oven on.”
Featured on Web page 153, a mandoline helps make this recipe come collectively rather a lot faster (the Barefoot Contessa host recommends a extra inexpensive one from Oxo). Garten cuts the zucchini into lengthy strands utilizing the mandoline.
Then she places the zucchini in a colander and sprinkles it with salt. Whereas it drains she makes a French dressing, one thing Garten thinks everybody ought to know the way to do. She makes use of lemon juice, “good” olive oil — the Barefoot Contessa prefers Olio Santo model — and seasoning.
To eliminate any additional moisture Garten pats the zucchini with paper towels earlier than tossing it along with the French dressing. All in all, she makes use of a complete of eight elements together with salt and pepper. How straightforward is that? As the cooking present host talked about in her e book, it may be served as is or with hen or lamb.
That is one in all many recipes Garten’s created that put zucchini entrance and heart. The Barefoot Contessa has zucchini recipes for every part from pancakes to tarts. Her Zucchini Gratin is nice for utilizing up plenty of recent zucchini. Need to proceed the no-oven theme? Garten’s Zucchini Pancakes might be made on the stovetop and so they’re prepared in 25 minutes.