So one day I was scrolling through Instagram & saw this beautiful dark & moody shot of fresh radishes pulled straight from the earth, dirt still clinging to them. I have no idea why the photo moved me but inspiration is a strange creature. When it happens, especially in this field, you run with it. So the next time I went to the store I bought a bunch of cute little radishes. And then they sat there, in the refrigerator for days on end. I couldn’t think of how I wanted to use them. The inspiration hit a standstill. It got to the point that when I opened the refrigerator it was like they were mocking me, reminding me that I am not as good at recipe development as I believed. And then it hit me. Hunger! Yep the inspiration wasn’t there yet, but the hunger was. I just started to take things out of the fridge & had no real direction. It was a bit of an auto-pilot mode. When it was all done I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. Just a quick lesson that I had to get out of my own head & just let the inspiration come to me when it was ready. Who knew so much could come from a simple radish?
This salad is a cold salad that is meant to celebrate the flavors of fresh spring vegetables. I really wanted that mint & peppery radish to speak & just a little tangy creaminess from that ricotta. It’s perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner & personally I think it’s pretty enough to serve as an intro to a nice dinner at home or dinner party.
Zucchini Ricotta Salad
Ingredients
- 1-2 zucchini, sliced in ribbons dependent on size you may only need 1
- 3-4 radish
- 1/2 cup spring peas fresh or frozen, see notes
- 1 cup vegan ricotta cheese see notes
- 2-3 sprigs fresh mint
- drizzle olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- ice water bath
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to boil.
- Prepare an ice water bath by placing ice & water in a bowl large enough to later submerge the zucchini & peas
- While you are waiting for the water to boil slice the zucchini in long ribbons from top to bottom using a mandolin if that's available to you. Slice the radish & set aside. Shell the fresh peas if using.Add the zucchini & peas to the boiling water & blanch. Cook for 2-3 minutes then quickly remove & place in the ice water bath. You want the vegetable to be just tender.
- Whip the ricotta cheese. Either add it to a food processor or blender & puree until smooth or get that arm workout in & whip by hand. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Drain the water from zucchini & peas. Pat dry.
- Assemble the salad. Plate the whipped ricotta with a giant smear on the plate. Arrange the zucchini ribbons in beautiful folds. Add sliced radish & peas. Add a few mint leaves & drizzle with a bit of olive oil & a good sprinkle of cracked black pepper.