Mashed Zucchini With Mint
From I ♥ NY: Ingredients and Recipes By Daniel Humm and Will Guidara
Serves 4
8 large zucchini
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed but kept whole
20 mint leaves
10 squash blossoms
Salt
Slice the top and bottom ends off the zucchini. Cut down the length of the zucchini so the seeds remain separate from the skin and flesh. Rotate the zucchini, and do the same on the remaining three sides. You will be left with four strips of flesh and skin and a rectangle of seeds; discard the seeds.
Heat a large straight-sided pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini to the pan, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently to prevent the zucchini from taking on any color. Cover with a parchment paper lid. Turn down the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the zucchini is tender, 7 to 8 minutes.
Stack 5 mint leaves at a time on top of one another and slice into ribbons. Trim off and discard the bottoms of the squash blossoms and slice the blossoms into ribbons as you did the mint. Mash the cooked zucchini isn a serving bowl with a fork. Fold in the mint and squash blossoms and season with salt to taste.
