ZUCCHINI & SQUASH SALAD with TRUFFLE OIL VINAIGRETTE

Florence is one of my favorite cities in Italy, for the art, architecture, beauty, food, and … this salad! My first experience with this unique combination was in a cozy little neighborhood osteria, where they served it as a starter to my main course. I have no recollection of my main course, but after asking my waiter for the recipe, this salad became one of my favorites and has remained so for over twenty years!

This is really a great dish to have any time of year, as zucchini and yellow squash seem to be staples at most grocery stores. (If the yellow squash is less available, this is just as good with the zucchini as the star of the show, as shown in the main photo.) The thin slices of fresh vegetables mixed with the brightness of the lemon juice, richness of the Parmesan cheese, and the earthiness of the truffle oil, makes this a stand-out combination. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Zucchini & Squash Salad with Truffle Oil Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Vinaigrette

• 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice Preferably fresh
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
• 2 Tbsp Truffle Oil We like the Urbani Truffle Oil
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Pinch salt

Salad Preparation

• 1 Tbsp Pine Nuts Toasted
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Yellow Squash
• Large Flake Salt Such as Maldon salt
• Parmesan Cheese Shavings for the top of each serving

Instructions

 

Vinaigrette

• Whisk together the Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, Trufle Oil, Olive Oil, and a pinch of salt.

Salad Preparation

• In a small skillet over medium-low heat, place in pine nuts and lightly toast, stirring constantly so they will not burn. This should only take 1-3 minutes.

  Once toasted, remove them from the pan so they stop cooking, and set aside.
• Using a mandoline slicer, on the “2.0” setting, thinly slice the Zucchini and Yellow Squash in vertical slices and place them on a large plate or in a mixing bowl.

  **If the zucchini or squash are too long to seamlessly slice in one piece, cut them each in half, and then make the vertical slices.
• Drizzle the vinaigrette over the Zucchini and Yellow Squash, using just enough to dress the vegetables to your taste. (We usually use 1 Tbsp per person, depending how the vegetables absorb the vinaigrette.)

  Using your hands or rubber spatulas, gently mix together so the Vinaigrette coats all the vegetables, being careful not to tear the thin slices of the vegetables.

  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes so the vinaigrette can soak into the vegetables and the flavors meld together. Give it a taste at this point to see if you need to add more vinaigrette and gauge how much salt you will need to sprinkle on.
• Place the Zucchini and Squash mixture onto a serving platter or individual plates and sprinkle with a light pinch of large flake salt.

  Using a vegetable peeler, shave large shavings of Parmesan Cheese over the top, and finish with the Toasted Pine Nuts.

Keyword Squash, Truffle Oil, Zucchini

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