Quick Sauté Zucchini on Toast With Comté, Lemon and Pepper

Recipe, words & photography by Harriet Davidson

Perhaps this recipe is a bit of an insight into my yearning and excitement for the long, hot days of summer with too many tomatoes and zucchini that we know what to do with. For the nights that are too hot to cook, for the days you’ve been lying by the sea all day and don’t want to break that sea-drunk zen. Queue toast dinners.

More a way of simply assembling gorg ingredients that are at their best than a recipe: thin strips of zucchini get a flash in the pan before topping a toasted piece of sourdough that you’ve rubbed with garlic. Then comes the heavy shaving of Comté and a healthy sprinkle of freshly cracked pepper. There’s lemon in there, too, to bring a bit of a punch. Flavours I adore together. I’ve also used the yellow patty pan squash here mixed in with the zucchini.

A mandoline is one of the best things you can buy yourself for your kitchen but a sharp knife will work well here, too. I love the simplicity of this but you could dress it up with a layer of zesty ricotta on the toast before you top it, or add in anchovies. Bookmark this one under “Summer eats” while you transport yourself to the summer daze and summer days we have ahead. Joy.

INGREDIENTS

1 zucchini
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 garlic cloves
Juice and rind of half a lemon
Comté for serving
Salt and pepper
Basil or parsley to garnish
Beautiful sourdough, sliced

METHOD

Thinly slice your zucchini length ways. Heat a cast iron pan over a low heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your finely sliced garlic and let sauté for a minute or two to soften before you add in your zucchini being careful not to let the garlic burn.

Sprinkle with a good pinch of sea salt and give it all a toss. It will only need about 3-5 minutes in the pan - you’re waiting for it to soften and to go slightly translucent. Remove from the heat and squeeze with lemon juice.

Pop your slices of toast in the toaster. Once golden, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and use half a clove of peeled garlic to rub the toast. Pile up the zucchini on the slices of toast, give them a good shaving of comté, a light sprinkle of lemon rind and a heavy crack of black pepper. Add on some fresh herbs of basil or parsley and maybe give it all another light drizzle of olive oil.

Harriet uses our IN BED 100% linen placemats, napkins and a teatowel in marigold. Harriet’s ceramic plate is by Kattleya Silang.