An idea for summer: courgette and cantaloupe melon salad

2017-08-25 Yellow and orange accompany two shades of bright green and red, with flashes of white and yellow. But thisCourgette and cantaloupe melon salad doesn’t only have harmonious colours, but also has a great taste and delicate fragrance, with sweet, acidic notes that are perfect for summer.
The recipe is taken from the book Fiori e frutta in cucina (Terra Nuova Edizioni), where chef Antonio Zucco offers one hundred original recipes with fruit, flowers, shoots and sprouts, with salads, first courses, combined dishes, side dishes, fruit salads and desserts.
This salad takes 30 minutes and is easy to prepare. It is gluten free and suitable for vegans.
Here are the ingredients for four people:
• 2-3 courgettes;
• 4 slices of cantaloupe melon;
• 20 raspberries;
• 4 spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil;
• 2 tablespoons of apple vinegar with raspberries (recipe in the next post);
• black salt from Cyprus.
How to make the salad.
• Wash, top and tail the courgettes and cut them into rounds, using a mandoline slicer; you should have about 28 slices.
• Remove the melon skin and slice it in the same way. Place it in four dishes, with a layer of courgettes on top, followed by the raspberries.
• Dress with the vinegar and oil and serve immediately with a pinch of salt.
Here’s an idea from the chef to enhance the recipe:
• Add some fresh chamomile flowers (petals only – you can’t eat the centre);
• Use cress or mustard shoots: their spicy flavour complements the raw courgette. From a nutritional point of view, mustard sprouts are a source of vitamins, especially A, B and C, and antioxidants; while cress is an excellent source of vitamin K and minerals.

Mariagrazia Villa

Recipe: chef Antonio Zucco.
Recipe source: Antonio Zucco, Fiori e frutta in cucina. Dai primi piatti ai dessert 100 ricette originali, Terra Nuova Edizioni, Florence 2016.
Dish photo: © Giancarlo Gennaro.