SpiceLines

Pungent mint, fruity tasting olives and creamy ricotta salata give bland summer
squash a savory spin. Add freshly cracked green peppercorns for extra spice.

When serendipity strikes in my kitchen, it’s usually by accident.

This recipe began with an embarrassment of summer squash. First there was zucchini, a notorious garden thug that drives normally circumspect people to leave baskets of the stuff on their neighbors’ doorsteps under cover of darkness.

Then came bushels of the prettiest yellow crooknecks that looked as if their bottoms had been dipped in pale green paint. Both kinds of squash are delicious if plucked when still small. They are tender, with a delicate, mildly sweet flavor--so good that you can just slice and gobble them raw, like cucumbers, or dip them into yogurt mixed with a little chopped garlic. Another way to serve summer squash is to cook it with fresh corn, onion and thyme, then smash everything together slightly and add butter and salt.

But while the squash (let's not mention the eggplant) was piling up in the kitchen, the mint was running wild in the garden, staging sneak attacks on the Sungold cherry tomato vines and the dark red dahlias. I yanked up a huge handful and came inside to savor the possibilities. Fresh mint has a wonderfully cool refreshing flavor, but it can also be hot and spicy. There are so many cultivars that it’s almost impossible to keep count, but true peppermint—mentha piperita, especially the purple-stemmed variety that's mounting a surge in our garden—is intensely pungent. It makes delicious Moroccan mint tea and fantastic mojitos. It’s the best mint to use in summer cooking, especially in any dish in which you really want the taste of the herb to stand out. I love it.

Mint seemed like just the thing to perk up the mild taste of summer squash. But there was more: In the refrigerator I found a container of purplish Kalamata olives, which would add a fruity, salty dimension to the dish. And for richness, well, there was a chunk of crumbly ricotta salata, firm, creamy tasting, and only slightly salty--left over from another experiment. All that was left was to add were a few cloves of garlic and some pepper. The distinctive taste of black pepper seemed too assertive for this dish, so I opted for freshly cracked green peppercorns which lent a touch of heat, but in a more subtle way.

This is a perfect summer vegetable dish. Squash of kinds are abundant in farmer’s markets, and you may find big bunches of fresh mint as well, or even at your supermarket. When cooking, you really don’t have to measure anything, just add the mint, olives, ricotta salata and other seasonings to taste. Best of all, it’s quick—about 15 minutes to cook and a few minutes more to stand before serving.

Summer Squash with Fresh Mint, Kalamata Olives and Ricotta Salata

To serve four as a side dish, or two as a main course

Ingredients:

(I’ve given measurements, but feel free to cook this to your own taste.)

1-1/2 pounds of small summer squash (mix of zucchini and crooknecks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon green peppercorns
Small handful of mint leaves, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 ounces ricotta salata, coarsely crumbled

Method:

1. Wash the squash and trim the tops and tails. Quarter the squash lengthwise and cut it into small chunks.
2. In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté briefly, then add the squash. Cook, tossing occasionally with a spatula, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the squash is cooked through and is beginning to brown around the edges.
3. While the squash is cooking, put the peppercorns in a ziplock bag and crush them with the handle of a chef’s knife. Strip the mint leaves off their tough stems and roughly tear them into pieces. Smash the olives with the flat side of a knife and tear them into pieces as well. Crumble the ricotta, but keep it in largish pieces.
4. When the squash is ready, remove it from the heat. Add salt and cracked green peppercorns to taste. Stir in half the mint, and all the olives and ricotta salata. Let the ingredients sit for a few minutes, so the flavors can mingle. Just before serving, add the rest of the mint.