Nourish: Creating the perfect zucchini noodle salad
I have a relatively small kitchen (not nearly the size of the one I use on my television show) and an aversion to clutter, so I tend to avoid collecting gadgets. That's why I had held off buying a spiralizer — one of those slicers that cuts vegetables into noodle shapes.
Until now. After all, you can get a similar, ribbonlike effect using a vegetable peeler, and already-spiralized vegetables are sold in many grocery stores' produce departments.
But I recently had the chance to try the gadget for myself, and, to my surprise, I was so tickled by it that I bought my own. In the accompanying recipe, the noodling of the vegetable gives what could seem like a very grown-up salad a welcome dose of fun.
While the zucchini is served uncooked, it doesn't taste raw per se because it is transformed by a sprinkle of salt and a half-hour to drain in a colander, which concentrate its flavor and soften it to the texture of al dente pasta. Dressed with lemon and olive oil, this base for the salad can be made a day in advance.
When you are ready to eat, you just toss the zucchini noodles with basil ribbons, and serve topped with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a sprinkle of buttery pine nuts. The result is a salad that is lip-smackingly delicious and fresh in both taste and style.
• Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author who hosts public television's “Ellie's Real Good Food.” She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.