Grilled Summer Squash Stacks With Herbed Ricotta Recipe 455

GRILLED SUMMER SQUASH STACKS WITH HERBED RICOTTA

Steps:

• In a Medium Bowl combine the Ricotta Cheese, Red Pepper Flakes, Black Pepper, Scallions and Basil. Mix well and then store in the fridge.
• Slice your Squash and Zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Once they are all sliced place them in a bowl and spray them with a mist of olive oil to coat them.
• Now time to Grill - give your grill a light spray of olive oil and heat to a medium high heat. Grill your Squash and Zucchini, until softened and grill marks appear about 8-10 minutes. The Squash cooks slightly quicker than the zucchini so just remove the slices and set on a plate as they fully cook.
• This step is important - let the Zucchini & Squash rest, cool to room temperature...if you start building your stacks while the Zucchini & Squash are still warm the Ricotta Cheese will start to melt and your stacks will fall. Oh and I know this first hand because I am a bit impatient and did not let my veggies rest the first time and my stacks did not stay standing but they were still delicious just not as pretty.
• Start to assemble your stacks, spread 4 Squash slices with 1 1/2 teaspoons of your Ricotta mixture each, now top with a Zucchini slice and spread with 1 1/2 teaspoons more of the Ricotta mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients so each stack contains 4 slices of vegetable; garnish each stack with 2 tablespoons of fresh salsa. I used Traders Joe's Salsa.
• Serve and Eat

GRILLED SUMMER SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Toss 1 1/2 pounds sliced summer squash and 1 sliced onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 5 minutes per side. Toss with more olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, and some chopped parsley and mint. Top with shaved ricotta salata.

HERBED SUMMER SQUASH

Steps:

• Saute 1 1/2 pounds diced yellow squash in butter over medium-high heat, 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 sprigs thyme, and salt to taste; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low; partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover; cook 2 more minutes. Stir in chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

MARINATED SUMMER SQUASH WITH HAZELNUTS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss squash and 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt in a colander; set over a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.
• Toss hazelnuts and 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, shaking occasionally, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Let cool; crush into large pieces with a measuring cup or glass.
• Smack 3 mint sprigs against your cutting board a few times to release their flavor; mix in a large bowl with garlic, vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, and 2 Tbsp. oil; set dressing aside.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high until shimmering. Arrange squash cut side down in skillet, breaking into smaller pieces if needed in order to fit in a single layer, and cook, moving around in pan to ensure even browning, until golden brown on cut side, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover (if you don't have a lid use a baking sheet), and continue to cook until very tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
• Cut squash into 2" pieces and toss in reserved dressing to coat; season with kosher salt and black pepper. Let sit at room temperature, tossing occasionally, 15 minutes. Pluck out mint sprigs; discard.
• Meanwhile, zest lemon half into a small bowl, mix in ricotta and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; season with kosher salt. Hang on to that lemon.
• Spread lemon ricotta over platter. Top with squash and their juices. Squeeze reserved lemon over. Pull leaves from remaining mint sprigs (you want about 1/4 cup). Scatter mint and hazelnuts over squash. Drizzle generously with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with toast.

RICOTTA, SQUASH AND HONEY FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Stir together the ricotta with a large pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Brush the grill grates with oil. Toss together the squash and zucchini slices, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Grill the vegetables, turning once, until nicely marked and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to the large bowl and toss with the juice of one of the lemon halves.
• Brush the tops of the flatbreads with the remaining tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread a quarter of the ricotta over each flatbread. Divide the grilled vegetables among the flatbreads. Transfer the flatbreads to the grill, cover and cook until the bottoms are slightly charred and crisp in spots and the ricotta is warm, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove to serving plates and top each with a drizzle of oil, a squeeze of the other lemon half, some lemon zest and a drizzle of honey. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes, then top with the fresh herbs.