Fried Zucchini Salad with Tomatoes and Fresh Garlic

This summer salad is a nice flavorful dish that goes well with garlic toasts, side of capellini with pesto, and  chilled Tuscan red wine

Ingredients  (prep time 20 minutes)

1 medium 8-10 " zucchini sliced in to 1/4 to 1/8 " slices

1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup of diced green bell pepper

1 teaspoon fresh basil- chopped fine

2 large garlic cloves -sliced thin ( a fresh market Italian soft neck garlic works best)

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVO)

red wine vinegar

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup shaved Romano cheese

Heat on medium heat 2 tablespoons of EVO in a medium size (10") non stick skillet. Add the garlic slices and cook on medium-low no more then 5 minutes. This a bit tricky. It's very important not to burn or brown the garlic. You're basically attempting to flavor the oil while keeping the garlic from dissolving. The garlic should should be a light golden color and slightly translucent. When the garlic is done remove with a slotted spoon and reserve on the side.

Bring the heat up on the now flavored garlic oil to medium- high and layer the zucchini slices in to the pan side by side. Brown on one side, about one minute, flip and brown the other side. Don't crowd the zucchini or you will basically be steaming them. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices. Then remove to a paper towel to drain some of the oil from the zucchini. The hard part is done. 

Place the cherry tomatoes, green peppers, basil, and reserved garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of EVO and a splash of red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper and flip or turn until well blended.

Place the zucchini on a dish and spoon the tomato, green pepper blend over the top and garnish with romano cheese.

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