A mix of ingredients fresh from the garden and the market, what can be better than that?
Sunday mornings, as the city just starts dragging itself out of slumber – and I, myself, probably need a large iced almond latte to get going – is the best time to have your pick of the fruit and vegetable stand offerings.
Pattypan squash are a rare late summer-early fall luxury, and they remind me of my childhood back when they were abundant and we would pickle them for winter (try it, they make for a delicious, crunchy pickle!).
And, really, the light, lingering spice of the squash ribbons and the colorful plate simply make me happy.
Summer squash caprese
You’ll need:
- 1 small pattypan squash
- 1 lb small, colorful tomatoes (preferably, the heirloom variety)
- fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil (I used Thai basil from my herb garden)
- olive oil
- 1/3 t chili flakes
- fleur de sel
1. Peel and core the squash and use a peeler to cut it into long ribbons. In a small bowl, toss the ribbons with chili flakes and olive oil. Set aside.
2. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into rounds, arrange on your serving plates, and season with a little bit of salt.
3. Place little ‘nests’ of the squash ribbons on top of – or next to – the cheese
4. Top with torn fresh basil leaves and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
And enjoying further farm stand bounty… there was a little plum pie for dessert.
What a wonderful salad, love fresh salads like this, love the addition of the pattypan squash.
Thank you, Cheri!
Love this salad — so light and refreshing and definitely perfect for this time of year! Love learning about new ingredients — had never heard of this type of squash before 🙂
Thanks so much for your support, Danny! And I don’t often see pattypan squash, but it’s mild and a little sweeter than most of its yellow squash cousins 🙂
Beautiful looking salad….however good they look, I find squashes disappoint, although from the look of yours I may well be mistaken:)
I think a bit of spice usually does the trick for ripe squashes for me, but I do know what you mean!
The pattypan squash is such a cool idea 😀
Lovely salad!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Glad you liked it!
This looks so fresh and delicious! I love the colours and would love to just dig in
Thank you, Anne! I like the creaminess of the cheese against the surprising spice of the squash, and yes, the colors! 🙂
What a lovely meal ! Complete with the plum pie!
Thank you, Mimi! My perfect idea of a late summer meal:)
Your salad looks so beautiful and I wish I had one of those plum pies here!
Thanks so much, Teresa!