Charred Zucchini With Pesto

Amarante

Mon, Jul 27 2020, 10:49 am

You could obviously use store bought pesto but it's so easy to make - much better and less expensive.

Pesto can be made ahead of time and is a nice food to have in the refrigerator. You can use tossed with pasta and sliced cherry tomatoes for a simple pasta dish.

Basil and zucchini are plentiful and this was a very simple delicious recipe. It went well with a relatively simple salmon dish I made that had Mediterranean flavors.

Charred Zucchini With Pesto

Excerpt From: Meseidy Rivera. “Weeknight Gourmet Dinners.

One of the first side dishes I ever blogged about was a side dish of roasted zucchini and peppers. I loved the simplicity of the recipe, but more so, the flavor of roasted and slightly charred vegetables. The zucchini are broiled until evenly charred and then served topped with a garlicky pesto. You can enjoy these as a side dish or serve them tossed with pasta.

SERVES 4

Pesto

1 cup (24 g) packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup (15 g) packed fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
2 tbsp (18 g) pine nuts
½ cup (120 ml) olive oil
1 tsp salt
¼ cup (25 g) shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Zucchini

6 medium zucchini, quartered and cut in half
3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Place an oven rack one space down from the broiler and set the broiler to high. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and set aside.

Prepare the pesto: In a food processor, combine the pesto ingredients and process until smooth, then set aside.
Prepare the zucchini: Spread the cut zucchini on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, granulated garlic and red pepper flakes. Toss until the zucchini is evenly coated, then arrange, skin side down, in a single layer.

Broil the zucchini, tossing once, for 2 to 5 minutes, or until charred. Serve drizzled with the pesto, sprinkled with Parmesan and garnished with a little fresh lemon juice.