This is my new favourite summer dinner. I have had it countless times since I innovated it a month ago. I say “innovated it” because it is based on a lovely salad I had when I was in Sydney at Christmas time.
It was lunch with my sister at Fratelli Fresh. We ordered a pizza and the courgette and Parmesan salad. I wasn’t that keen on her salad choice as, until then, I thought courgettes were boring. Cooked courgettes are. Raw courgettes are a revelation. Yep, that’s right, raw. Shaved and dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan, courgettes are light and fresh, vibrant and summery.
This is different from my usual recipes in that I really could not decide which ingredients to include from the endless variations I have tried so I have provided the basic ingredients and then everything else is optional. This means I can’t really be specific about measurements. Just experiment, nothing can go wrong.
The basic ingredients would make enough for 2 as a main, 4 as a side salad. Obviously this will change as you add more vegetables from the optional ingredients.
Basic ingredients
1 courgette, shaved
1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
Handful of flat leaf parsley leaves
Juice of half a lemon, or to taste
50ml extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
50g Parmesan, or to taste, shaved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional ingredients
4-6 leaves red and/or green chicory, chopped into strips
½ fennel, thinly sliced
1 Lebanese (or small) cucumber, shaved
Handful of green beans, cooked al dente and refreshed under cold water
½ yellow pepper, thinly sliced
Handful of dill fronds
Handful celery leaves
1 tbsp capers and their juice
Method
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, saving a few parsley leaves (and dill fronds, if using) and some Parmesan for decoration.
Taste to check the dressing and seasoning. Add more lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper as necessary.
Arrange on plates or in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with parsley leaves, (dill fronds, if using) and Parmesan and serve.
