Meatless Monday: Arugula Salad with Zucchini Carpaccio & Parmesan

My husband and I just got back from being on vacation in the Midwest for almost 3 weeks. Being away for that long was fun, but it left us missing many of the comforts of home. We were happy to return to our own bed, our mentally challenged but ever-sweet cat, . . . and our CSA box.

During many parts of our trip, we found ourselves on long stretches of highway that offered precious little in the way of civilization between destinations. Not a good situation for hungry travelers to find themselves in. This, of course, meant we ended up eating fast food on more occasions than I'd care to admit (or care to remind myself).

I know I've complained on a few occasions about our CSA box (like - What on earth am I going to do with yet ANOTHER bunch of Easter radishes? . . . No, seriously, any ideas??), but this trip left me jonesing for Underwood Family Farms' fresh lettuces, succulent strawberries, crisp green beans, and so much more. (The green beans I got with my dinner one night . . . were floating in water and BACON BITS. The menu made no mention of meat being included in this side dish; silly me for not assuming!).

We had just started getting zucchini and summer squash in our CSA box when we had to cancel pick-ups for the duration of our trip. (What a tease!) We were eager to get back and have more, and this next recipe is one good reason why.

Arugula Salad with Zucchini Carpaccio & Parmesan

• Arugula
• Zucchini
• Parmesan
• Salt
• Lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil

This salad is kind of an amalgam of a few different recipes we've tried before, so I don't have real measurements or quantities to share with you, so you'll have to rely on your own culinary judgment and personal preferences to come out with the right proportion of ingredients for you. But that should be easy because this is a really simple recipe.


I'm borrowing the steps for preparing the zucchini from an old 2006 L.A. Times article (written by Russ Parsons), the link to which I just can't seem to locate right now:

"1. Rinse and cut the ends from the zucchini. Cut the zucchini in lengthwise quarters and then crosswise into one-third-to one-half-inch slices. Do not slice thinner or the zucchini will turn mushy during salting.

2. In a mixing bowl, toss the zucchini slices with the salt to coat well. Turn the zucchini into a strainer and position it over the bowl to catch the liquid that drains. Set aside for 30 minutes. You'll see when the zucchini is ready because the sharp cut corners will soften.

3. After 30 minutes, discard the liquid that has collected in the bowl and wipe the bowl dry. Rinse the zucchini well under cold running water until it tastes only slightly salty. Pat the zucchini dry in a kitchen towel and return it to the mixing bowl."

4. Arrange a bed of arugula in each of the salad bowls you're serving. Distribute the zucchini slices evenly over the top of the arugula. Shave pieces of Parmesan on the top (as much as you'd like).

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and squeeze lemon juice over salad. (I suggest using a light hand with both.)

6. Eat!

The zucchini preparation may seem like a bit much, but it's so worth it. It really brings out the nutty flavor in zucchini and complements the Parmesan and spicy arugula really well. (I know - nutty? Zucchini? Trust me, you'll see [or, rather, taste] what I mean, and you'll LOVE it.)

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

Other Meatless Monday posts

Movie Review: The Human Stain

When we lived in Oak Park, our cable (Adelphia, now Time Warner) was taken care of through the HOA and was part of the monthly fees. Not bad – except that their particular cable package didn’t include the Independent Film Channel (IFC). (But, but, bu, wha, hey . . . [hyperventilation] . . . Noooo! ) Happily, when we moved to Moorpark recently, we picked up a DirecTV package that included IFC. So, not only do we have access to all that indie goodness again, but now I can record hours upon hours of it, glutting myself to make up for the two years of deprivation. Yay to overcompensating. :)

One recently recorded IFC movie we took in was The Human Stain; based on a novel by Philip Roth; screenplay by Nicholas Meyer; directed by Robert Benton; starring Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris. I do so wish I had read the book so I could smugly tell you, “Well, you know, the movie is okay, sure, but the book really is so much better.” (I mean, really? Come on. Does anyone even need to say that anymore? I’ve yet to come across a movie that has outdone the bestselling book from which it was derived. If anyone would care to point out an anomaly of which I’m unaware, please do.) Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, The Human Stain. While I’m not a huge Kidman fan, I do tend to like most of Hopkins’, Sinise’s, and Harris’ work, and I had heard the book was pretty stellar, so we hunkered down on the couch with the cat this Sunday and queued it up.

Ok, this time with all honesty and not as an insolent aside, I will say I Do wish I had read the book. I think the movie does a fine job of telling a tale of identity crisis, pride, shame, fear, loss, skeletons in the closet, and so much more, but I can only imagine that the book does a much finer job of laying out the details and dovetailing the pieces together (e.g., the scene with Kidman and the crow is awkward and not anchored well enough to the rest of the narrative). In the end, though, I think it’s unreasonable to expect movies to live up to the books which inspired them. And, since I seldom go back and read the book After I’ve seen the movie, I can say without prejudice that I was pretty satisfied with the film based on its own merits - not a 5-star rating, but far from a turkey. I’d say a respectable 4 stars. The main storyline, which unfolded through flashbacks interspersed at just the right pace, offered surprising insights and lent deeper meaning to the “present-day” footage (i.e., this often overused cinematic devise was actually employed rather deftly here).

I really want to say so much more about the movie, but I don’t want to give away vital information or highlights, so I will just say I do recommend you see it if you have the opportunity. My little quasi-review wouldn’t be complete, however, if I didn’t also share the following with you. After viewing the movie, I happened to reach down beside the couch and pick up the book review section of the L.A. Times, and there on page R3 was an article called “Affirmative fractions” by Erin Aubry Kaplan. The review was of Harvard University law professor Randall Kennedy’s new book Sellout and was basically a commentary on betraying one’s racial identity versus the freedom to choose one’s racial identity – the perfect thought piece for me to consider after having just watched a movie covering a similar theme. I love those moments in life that seem to be magically tailored to your experience of it.