grilled zucchini salad with mint and pine nuts

Buried?  One of the best ways I found to use up zucchini is by grilling it, then turning it into a salad.  This one, dressed very simply with salt, olive oil, pinenuts, and julienned mint, is good both warm or at room temperature.  The mint brings out the sweetness of the zucchini, and the olive oil mingles with its juices, making the dish seem richer and fresher than it rightly should be.

Cut smallish zucchini and/or summer squash in half lenthwise and salt liberally.  Let sit while the grill heats up, then press with a paper towel to soak up some of the accumulated water.  Brush with olive oil.  Grill fast and hot — you want the zucchini to have grill marks but still be a bit on the raw side — if it is mushy, you will lose.  While still warm, toss with a good slick of olive oil and pine nuts.  Julienne the mint and add it at the last minute.

Speaking of buried, I’m in the home stretch of the dissertation.  Will I live to tell the tale?