Shaved Zucchini and Arugula Salad

This is my version of a recipe from Faith Willinger's book Red White & Greens for Zucchini Carpaccio. Her version calls for slicing the zucchini into very thin rounds and laying it out on a platter, much like classic beef carpaccio. I like to slice the zucchini lengthwise into ribbons and pile them in the center of the plate or platter and then finish arranging the dish. I also prefer to use a good red wine vinegar or my favorite Merlot Agrodolce (sweet & sour) vinegar instead of blasamic vinegar. Whatever vinegar you choose to use, it shouldn't be too harsh.

The key to success for this dish is to use the freshest zucchini possible and you may want to try different varieties of zucchini to find one that you like for eating raw. The other trick to getting this dish right is slicing the zucchini. I use an inexpensive Benriner slicer most of the time or if I'm going to be preparing a larger amount I'll haul out my big stainless steel mandolin slicer.

Slice the zucchini so that the ribbons aren't so thin that they collapse under their own weight, but not so thick that they are too thick to curl easily. It doesn't really matter that some are too thin or thick, once all the zucchini are piled together they will look fine. But I also find that the texture of the raw zucchini is most pleasant to my taste when it is sliced just right.

Shaved Zucchini and Arugula Salad

2 small very fresh zucchini
1 small bunch of arugula, coarsely chopped or torn
Red Wine Vinegar, best quality, 2 to 3 teaspoons
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 to 3 tablespoons
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Freshly ground pepper
Parmigiano

Slice the zucchini into very thin strips that will curl prettily on the plate. Mound the zucchini in the center of each plate or on one large platter. Scatter the arugula over the zucchini, drizzle with the vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste. Shave the parmigiano as thinly as possible with the slicer or a vegetable peeler directly over the salad and serve immediately.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Salami, Lemon, and Arugula Roll-Ups

For each roll:

2 thin slices Toscano salami
1 very thin slice of Meyer Lemon, use a mandolin for slicing (see hint below)
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Fine shreds of Parmigiano (not finely grated, too messy to eat)
A few leaves of baby arugula

Overlap the salami slices side by side so they are just slightly offset. The overlapped area should be about the same size as the lemon slice. Place the lemon slice in the center and drizzle with just a bit of olive oil. Place a few shreds of Parmigiano horizontally across the center. Top it all with a few leaves of arugula and roll the whole thing up into a cigar shape and fasten with a toothpick. Will keep for a few hours refrigerated.

Hint: first cut the lemon in half crosswise and remove any visible seeds, this will help to keep the membranes from shredding since the hard seeds tend to get caught on the mandoline blade.

Basil Pesto, with an Arugula Variation

I've tried many a pesto recipe in my time and this is the one that I've settled on as my favorite. It just seems to have the right ratio of ingredients and I like the unconventional touch of lemon juice in it. There also seems to be something about adding the oil in 2 doses, half before and half after the cheese that produces a good texture.

4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves, about 4 to 5 oz.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmigiano, about 2 oz.
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Food processor method. Process the garlic and pine nuts until minced. Add the basil to the workbowl and process until the basil is chopped. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl. With the processor running, add the lemon juice and half of the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Turn off the processor,  add all the cheese and process until the cheese is absorbed. With the processor running, slowly add the remaining olive oil. When the pesto is creamy add salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in a container with a film of oil covering the pesto and keep it tightly covered and refrigerated.

Omit the cheese if you want to freeze the pesto. To use frozen pesto, thaw it out and stir in the cheese.

For a more lemony pesto, add the peel of 1/2 meyer lemon with the garlic and pine nuts. Increase the lemon juice to 2 tablespoons of meyer lemon juice.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

For Arugula Pesto:

- use 2 cloves of garlic
- substitute toasted skinned almonds for the pine nuts
- same weight of arugula instead of basil
- use the meyer lemon peel