A Summer Recipe Double Whammy
Lime Roasted Zucchini Over Labaneh + Gingery Carrot & Corn Soup
I had a bumper crop of zucchini left over from a day of filming last week, so what to do?
I wanted something I could serve at room temperature, and maybe as a bonus it could include the half-container of labaneh I had in the fridge? I settled on roasting, but needed a plan to make sure the zucchini didn’t come out mushy and watery. I cut it into cubes and salted as I would eggplant. About 20 minutes did the trick.
The zucchini was glistening, and a little pool of water had gathered at the bottom of the bowl. I patted them dry aggressively with a towel, and they were ready to go to work—no more salt needed. For added flavor, I wanted something zingy and bright. It’s lime season here, and this year they’re especially tart and tangy. All the fruit this summer has been stellar, sadly because we had a really dry, hot winter. But the lime would get used later (stay tuned). For tossing, I landed on sweet paprika, ground cumin, and dried Persian lime. Persian limes (also known as limun Omani, a nod to their roots in Oman) in their whole form often find their way into soups and stews in my kitchen, but they also come ground into a powder that adds the perfect puckery tang to vegetables—sort of like sumac, but with a fermented edge.
Onto a sheet pan it all went, and the zucchini emerged burnished, crispy-soft, and slightly slumped. Now was when that fresh lime entered the picture. Cooked citrus can work, but here I let the still-cooling zucchini absorb the fresh juice and a dusting of zest to really highlight the acidity in contrast to the creamy richness of the zucchini and the bed of labaneh provided as the most delicious landing spot. Some roasted pine nuts, a flutter of fresh mint, perhaps a little more lime zest. Welcome to the most delicious side dish you ever did make.
Double Lime Roasted Summer Zucchini Over Labaneh
Serves 4 to 6
2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 teaspoons Diamond kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons fine sea salt or Morton’s kosher salt)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground Persian lime (limun Omani), or ground sumac
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin or coriander
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice and zest of 1 juicy lime
1 cup labneh or Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped or small mint leaves
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. Toss the zucchini and salt in a large bowl and let sit, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes total. Turn out onto the towel-lined sheet pan, spread out, and pat dry very well. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Make sure the large bowl is wiped out, then return the dry zucchini to the bowl (you’re now done with the towel, but keep the baking sheet handy) and toss with the olive oil, Persian lime, paprika, cumin, and pepper. Line the baking sheet with parchment, then spread the zucchini out on top of the parchment and roast, tossing once after 10 minutes, until softened and caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then zest the lime over the zucchini, squeeze the lime all over, and very gently toss to coat. Spread the labaneh on a serving platter, then top with the zucchini. Garnish with the pine nuts and mint.
