Carpe Zuchinni !

There are some vegetables that seem to be always present in the grocery stores. You see lettuce, and you instantly think of salad, for example. You see cabbage and you think coleslaw, cabbage rolls or an interesting weapon to roll at the geese who are congregating on your lawn like some kind of waterfowl street gang. Looking like they are contemplating uprooting your newly planted lettuce.Or breaking in to Occupy The Couch. You gotta protect what's yours and that cabbage is so big and cheap...

 It's all good. Not really interesting or approved by the ASAP, but it's a way to use it . For a meal.

And then there is zucchini. Always available, but a lot of people look at it and have no idea how to use it and make it shine. Sure, you could cube it and toss it in marinara sauce  or shred it into muffins or even slice and layer it into a lasagna. Or cook it with tomato and eggplant, calling it Ratatouille .None of these are bad ways, but none of these make it shine. May I suggest  a step outside of the box ? Serve it Carpaccio style !

Now for a brainiac moment- what exactly is carpaccio style ? It basically means raw. It is a style invented at Harry's Bar in Venice in 1950 for a Princess who was under doctor's orders to eat meat only raw. The chef dressed the meat with a simple mustard sauce and called it Carpaccio because it reminded him of the colors in  paintings done by the 15th century painter Vittore Carpaccio.They, like the dish, looked so alive and vibrant.  It is a style that not only tastes good, but looks good,

Zucchini Carpaccio

Zucchinis ( depends on how many you are serving, how big the zucchinis are, how much you like this veg) 
chopped parsley
a few leaves of basil cut into ribbons
a few fresh lemons
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Wash and slice the zucchinis into thin slices. Lay on a plate and sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon juice , herbs and cheese. Repeat.
It tastes very fresh and delicious. Zucchini is one of the very few vegetables my son has been slow to enjoy in any cooked fashion, but loves it in this style because it does not have the "mushy" quality that cooked zucchini has.Good thing is that you can easily serve this  as a side with burgers, pizza and so forth, with a lot less effort than a tossed salad requires. Give it a whirl !