Shallot, Piave, Pine nut, Basil
Jonathan Brooks of Beholder and Milktooth in Indianapolis, IN
Jonathan (@thebeastgodforgot) opened his first restaurant Milktooth, a breakfast and lunch only fine diner, in 2014 to immediate success and acclaim, winning both Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs and Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants in 2015. Missing the dark promises of the night and their sacred ingredients Brooks opened Beholder with partner Josh Mazanowski in 2018.
Love this simple, healthy raw preparation of squash. The texture is unctuous and it feels indulgent while being extremely quick to throw together while the grill heats up and you have a glass of wine or cocktail in your hand.
We make our own vinegar for this dish. You want to use the best vinegar you can find that is floral and slightly sweet. We’ve made a black lotus flower vinegar and we’ve also done a bee balm vinegar for this dish.
- Jonathan Brooks
Yield: 4 to 6 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow summer squash
6 to 8 tablespoons really good olive oil
We like to use smoked or meyer lemon olive oil for this at Beholder
3 to 4 tablespoons really good vinegar (floral and slightly sweet)
We use a homemade black lotus flower vinegar for this at Beholder
2 tablespoons maldon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 small shallots
Small piece of good hard cheese, like Piave
3 to 4 tablespoons toasted and chopped pine nuts or hazelnuts
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves
Method:
Thinly shave the shallots and soak in ice water for 10 minutes.
Shave the zucchini and yellow squash 1/6 of an inch thin on a mandoline and arrange barely overlapping and beautifully on two platters.
Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Use your fingers to gently rub the oil and vinegar into the squash.
Season liberally with maldon and black pepper
Garnish with shallots, hard cheese (grate on top with a microplane), pine nuts, and basil.
Zucchini Carpaccio
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow summer squash
- 6 to 8 tablespoons really good olive oil. We like to use smoked or meyer lemon olive oil for this at Beholder
- 3 to 4 tablespoons really good vinegar (floral and slightly sweet). We use a homemade black lotus flower vinegar for this at Beholder
- 2 tablespoons maldon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 small shallots
- Small piece of good hard cheese, like Piave
- 3 to 4 tablespoons toasted and chopped pine nuts or hazelnuts
- 4 to 6 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Thinly shave the shallots and soak in ice water for 10 minutes.
- Shave the zucchini and yellow squash 1/6 of an inch thin on a mandoline and arrange barely overlapping and beautifully on two platters.
- Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Use your fingers to gently rub the oil and vinegar into the squash.
- Season liberally with maldon and black pepper
- Garnish with shallots, hard cheese (grate on top with a microplane), pine nuts, and basil.