Zucchini Carpaccio with Ricotta

I really love cooked zucchini (or squash), but somehow raw zucchini never quite does it for me.  I stil like raw zucchini, but when it comes down to it I would prefer it cooked.  This is the third raw zucchini dish that we have tried in the past few years.  Last summer we tried a Zucchini Crudo and a Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan Pine Nuts.  All three of the raw zucchini salads were good - light, fresh and summery, but I think that I prefer Red Cat's Quick Saute of Zucchini, Whole Wheat Penne Rigate with Summer Squash and Ricotta, Disappearing Zucchini Orzo and Ad Hoc's Summer Vegetable Gratin.  This carpaccio was no exception.  It was good, but I really wanted there to be something more to it.  The fresh ricotta was lovely, and the basil was too, but it lacked anything to make it really stand out.  I told Alex that in the future I would make this dish as a side if I were to have say an Easter dinner with baked ham and a bunch of sides because it's easy to make (bonus points since it doesn't require any cooking) and it's beautiful to look at.  Don't get me wrong, the dish is far from bad, it's just that it's not amazing either.  I have been waiting to post the recipe since last Sunday because I just didn't know what to say.  I still don't but I figured at this point I might as well go ahead and say what little there is to be said and call it a day.

Recipe after the jump!

Zucchini Carpaccio with Ricotta

Adapted from Bon Appetit

April 2010

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium striped zucchini, trimmed
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp evoo
ricotta cheese
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Using knife or mandoline, cut zucchini into paper-thin rounds. Arrange rounds, slightly overlapping, on large platter. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and pepper, then green onions. Whisk lemon juice and oil in small bowl. Drizzle dressing evenly over zucchini. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Drop small spoonfuls of cheese all over zucchini.

Sprinkle with basil and serve.