My daughter is vehemently anti-squash in any form. I’ve roasted it, fried it, stuffed it – and her response every time is still a resounding ‘nope’. She’ll delicately scoop out the innards of kousa mahshi (stuffed courgette) leaving the sad, hollowed out shell behind. I’m not exactly pro hiding vegetables in food, but I also wondered if the squash was cut up small enough and part of a salad if she’d just eat it without complaint. Combining it with a reliably-eaten carb (in this case pasta), seemed like a good idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could also substitute green zucchini \/ courgette or kousa (Lebanese squash) for yellow squash in this recipe, it’s up to you! I had a couple of gorgeous yellow ones on hand that needed to be used, so that’s what I have here. This recipe can also easily be doubled for a party, and while I didn’t add it here, it would also be fantastic with a generous sprinkling of feta cheese (without it, this recipe is both parve and vegan). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This recipe makes great use of preserved lemons if you have them in your pantry. Preserved lemons have a more complex flavour than plain lemons, and add a complexity to this salad that makes it stand out. However, if you don’t have any on hand (make a batch now!) and substitute with lemon zest. If you don’t fancy making them, you can purchase them online<\/a>. That said, they are insanely easy to make, and well worth it since they are typically somewhat expensive to purchase by comparison to the raw ingredients. Plus they’re amazing in tagines, salad dressings, and so many other applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This dish is very fresh and bright in flavour, and while preserved lemon tends to be quite strong, it doesn’t overpower the dish. It’s great alongside grilled meats or fish. We often serve this on a platter, topped with a filet of wild salmon cooked in butter and za’atar. Oh, and the verdict from my daughter? The salad was too lemony, and she picked around the squash. Maybe next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theeleganteconomist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/orzosalad2-768x1024.jpg\")