The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

shaved squash

carpaccio with

capers and

ricotta salata

Refreshing and light, this is

a perfect first course or side

for a summer dinner. Make it

up to a few hours in advance,

keeping it covered and

chilled and adding the salt,

pepper, cheese, capers, and

thyme just before serving.

Serves 4

3 medium yellow summer
squash or zucchini, or a
mix (about 1 lb.)

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper

2 oz. ricotta salata or
Manchego

1 Tbs. brined capers, drained
and chopped

Using a vegetable peeler, shave

off long strips of squash, rotat-

ing the squash in your hand as

you work around the seed-filled

center. (Stop when it becomes

difficult to shave, and discard

the seedy centers.) Arrange the

strips on a large platter, overlap-

ping them slightly.

Drizzle with the lemon juice

and olive oil. Season to taste with

salt and pepper. Use a vegetable

peeler to shave the ricotta salata

over the squash. Top with the

capers and serve.

capers

Tangy Mediterranean dishes

like penne alla puttanesca,

chicken piccata, or side dishes

such as the one above get their

delicious briny punch from

capers. Small but packed with

sharp flavor, capers are the

unopened flower buds of the

caper shrub, which grows all

over the Mediterranean coast.

Unappetizing when fresh,

capers are usually sun-dried

and cured in a mixture of brine

and vinegar or in salt.

FineCookinG.CoM 69