{"id":6854,"date":"2014-10-02T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T06:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thekitchenpaper.com\/?p=6854"},"modified":"2018-01-09T12:45:56","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T20:45:56","slug":"blackened-summer-squash-salad-pine-nuts-basil-mint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thekitchenpaper.com\/blackened-summer-squash-salad-pine-nuts-basil-mint\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackened Summer Squash Salad with Pine Nuts, Basil, and Mint"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Blackened<\/p>\n

Veggies + nuts + herbs = undeniably healthy, hearty, and able to ROCK YOUR TASTE BUDS! Fo reals! This recipe was a simple conglomeration of things we had on hand, mostly from the garden, and honestly needed to use. We still have zucchini coming out of our ears, and the patty pans are ready for harvesting now, too! So. Much. Squash. Much of what we harvest goes into the freezer, blanched, but it's still hard to keep up with! And, eating fresh vegetables is living the dream so... let's eat 'em up!<\/p>\n

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In the making of this recipe I can guarantee that no leprechauns or unicorns were hurt; however, I did set off the smoke alarm about five times in the course of ten minutes while charring the squash. Oopsies! To be fair, the kitchen and fire alarm in this house seem to be working in cahoots, because it seems that 95% of my \"oops I set off the fire alarm\" moments have happened in this house, which has only existed for five years. So... I SMELL A SCANDAL. {Tangent: Do any of you watch Scandal? Olivia Pope? Anyone? Maybe it's my PolySci background, but I cannot get enough of DC dramas these days! It's a good thing I finally finished HIMYM right in time for fall shows! If by \"good thing\" I mean \"terrible for productivity\" - yes.}<\/p>\n

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Don't let that whole fire alarm thing scare you away. Your kitchen might be able to handle the heat! I just cranked my stove up pretty high and pan fried the half-moons in batched until they were all a bit charred and blackened. As they blackened, I took them off the pan (their insides were still not very cooked at this point), and put them in a separate bowl. Once all the pieces were blackened, I added them all back to the pan to cook over a lower heat and finish all the way through - as well as add the rest of the ingredients. I preferred this dish hot, but you certainly could eat it cold!<\/p>\n

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I warned you guys a few weeks ago that you should brace yourself for a serious overdose of fresh herbs. Vietnam instilled in me a PUT ALL HERBS ON ALL THE THINGS mentality, and I'm loving it. I'm not sure my eaters always agree, but they'll get used to it! What a loving chef, right? Right. Also: not a chef. Just a cook. A very loving cook. Do I sound desperate yet? Moving back to the herbs: this particular salad has an overdose of both mint and basil - a combination I'd never really tried until Vietnam. I didn't want to actually make a pesto, so I just pulsed the two together in the food processor so they were finely chopped. Then, I added half to the cooking squash and half after it was finished - of course it quickly wilted from the heat of the veggies, but wasn't totally annihilated like the bunch I actually cooked.<\/p>\n

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Finally, let's just take a second to talk about roasted pine nuts. OMG ROASTED PINE NUTS! I'll admit, I'm not actually the biggest fan of pine nuts normally - they're okay, but I'm not crazy about them - but once you toast them up a little bit, turn their smooth pale skin into a golden nutty brown: I can't resist them. That little bit of toasting, which I do in a dry saute pan, creates the most invigorating and mesmerizing perfume. Add that into a salad {of ANYTHING} and you practically guarantee a win. Then I added cheese {duh}, so ... guaranteed win, fo sho! Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"Blackened<\/p>\nPrint<\/a><\/span>

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