In Greek cooking, vegetables are often boiled and made into salads, such as cauliflower, beans or in this case zucchini.
I have nothing against boiling but I find steaming vegetables to achieve the same result and I’ve retained all of the vegetable’s nutrients. I recently found these lighter skinned zucchini at the market and I snapped them up. In Greece, I’ve yet to see the green skinned zucchini we’re used to here in North America.
Toronto is in the midst of an early bout of summer weather and I’m writing to you in shorts as we speak. I’m very much in a Greek state of being and a salad such as this transports me to a hot, lazy summer day in Greece.
A salad such as this one requires minimal effort, it’s hard to screw up and as long as you’re using the best extra-virgin olive oil (Greek, of course), fresh mint and Feta cheese, you’re going to enjoy this salad.
The hot summers of Greece make me lazy and I look for quick, healthy and delicious ways to nourish myself. A salad of Zucchini with Feta and mint can be served warm or at room temperature.
I’ve listed amounts of Feta and mint only as a guideline…add some more if that suits your fancy.
Zucchini Salad With Feta & Mint
2 lbs (or 1kg) of small to medium zucchini
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. of chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. good red wine vinegar
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
crumbled Feta cheese
- Rinse your zucchini and place (whole) in the basket portion of your bamboo or metal steamer and cover. From when your water has come to boil, steam for about 15 minutes or until just fork tender.
- Carefully slice your zucchini into fork-sized medallions and place in a large bowl. Add a little salt, some pepper, garlic, olive oil, mint and Feta and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning according to taste.
- Serve warm or cold.
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© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
I agree that steaming vegetables is the way to go. It feels very much like summer today, so this is a perfect dinner. The more feta, the better.
Fresh mint and feta is definitely a lovely combination.
So nice, not only as a salad but nice for dinner as well.
Your fotos are super, as always!!
Ah, just in time for summer! You know, I’m trying to think if I’ve steamed zucchini before. I don’t think I have! Gotta love the feta in this. That first photo is great … kind of like a zucchini fountain! :-)
great idea. I just planted some fresh mint and this is certainly a perfect way to use it. kali orexi!
Oh I love zucchini. This salad with the feta looks really tasty.
We’ve got zucchini in the garden. I’ll have tons of it so will try this when we harvest. Looks yum!
Lovely, what a perfect way to use zucchini! This will be perfect for memorial day bbqs!
We’re got warm weather here too and that salad would be perfect for dinner tonight. I’ve even got the fresh mint growing on my deck and feta and zucchini in the fridge. all set to go.
Delicious! This is the ideal salad for warm summer days…
Cheers,
Rosa
I love the fresh flavours of this! And the lighter skinned zucchini are a great alternative too!
Too many people think a salad is lettuce and tomatoes! Good for you to point out alternatives.
The colors in that top pic are so enticing, Peter. I’d love to serve this with pasta too.
I can’t wait for all those zucchini my friends will be dying to give me in season…not that I can’t find some lovely zucchini now…but in season I can make more:D
A perfect summer salad – great combination with zucchini and feta and mint.
That salad looks sooooo good! Guess what? I’ll be making this tonight!
Your pictures are fantastic Peter, especially the first one.
Hey – I have all of those ingredients in the fridge! I know what I am having this weekend.
Peter, you’ve got all my favourite ingredients in there…lovely :-)
Simple, quick and delicious! Especially if one can get their hands on some tiny zucchini with flowers on them!
i’ve certainly never had zucchini served this way, but it looks like something i’d really enjoy, especially with that hint o’ mint. nice!
Weather is just starting to cooperate in Calgary, maybe it’ll be time for al fresco dining soon, and this salad looks like a perfect side for a grilled dinner :)
What a great idea for that part of the summer when we end up with more zucchini than we can think of things to do with!
Such a nice and simple salad! I love your photos, they look so natural.
I would probably really like this salad, but I’d do a quick saute instead of steaming – preserves the nutrients and the color. Steaming tends to make vegetables a bit soft for my taste.
My grandma and mom boiled every vegetable we ever ate into a nutritional wasteland. :P
There’s something about that feta & mint combo… lures me in every time. Gotta love that zucchini. So versatile.
I never thought of cooking veggies for a salad. We’ve planted 2 varieties of zucchini, and I can’t wait! I’m not the person who gripes over too much zucchini or too many tomatoes! Hope your summer weather lasts a while!
Great salad Peter! Beautiful presentation and I agree about the boiling … I’ve always said the older generation of Greeks boil vegetables and meats way too much. I would much rather steam or saute too, retains nutrients and flavor too.
Sounds like a great way to use what will soon be a deluge of zucchini!
Peter, I am new to your site, but wanted to say that this recipe looks great, fresh and green. Our mint is going great guns, and zucchini is coming up, I will look forward to using both to make this. (This year must try to harvest zukes before they reach the size of pods in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”)
One of my favorite recipes to showcase zucchini’s sunny yellow cousin, crookneck summer squash, is Zucchini Ankara from “New Recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant.” Even when I haven’t had olives or feta on hand, this makes a filling lunch … the combo of the cumin, chickpeas and lemon with the browned onions and squash … lotta flavor there.
Well, I love mint and I love feta. Zuchinni – not so much. So, when it starts arriving from my CSA, I’m definitely trying this.
what a beautiful way to cook zucchini. thanks for the recipe.
What a great combination of flavors and I just happen to love them all.
Oh wow, I bet this salad was incredible! I love that zucchini, feta, mint combo. Yum!
Peter,
I am going to make this with some pasta this weekend……mint and zucchini are best friends!
I love zuchhinis. I recently came across the idea of steaming instead of blanching vegs and I really agree it’s better :)
I have copious amounts of young and flavorful mint in my herb garden, and some feta from a local artisan cheesemaker. Sounds like this salad will be on the menu in my kitchen very soon.
Nice new way for me to use up my zucchini.