This weekend my parents came to Asheville for the Biltmore Village Art and Craft Fair.  What beautiful and creative artists!  I really enjoyed spending the day with my mom and my tween.  After a day of shopping and bonding, we needed an easy side dish to go with the pork loin my dad had stayed home to grill.

Many years ago I subscribed to a magazine called Cuisine At Home.  This magazine is pure foodie!  It only comes six times a year but there are no ads, just recipes and cooking tips.  The majority of the recipes required more time than I had with two young kids and work, so I did not keep up my subscription.  I did however keep some of the recipes that fit in to my lifestyle.  Grilled Squash with Basil Oil was one of those recipes.

This is simple and quick and my teenage son ate two large servings!  The original recipe made enough oil for two recipes in my opinion so I will give you the revised directions. Blanching the basil leaves is important to be able to save the bright green color.  If you skip this step, it will taste good but the sauce will be a yucky color brown.   Mix up squash and zucchini for taste and color.

Grilled Squash with Basil Oil

To make the basil oil, start a saucepan of water for boiling.  Measure out 2 cups of loosely packed fresh basil leaves and drop them in the boiling water.  Let them boil for 20 seconds and then fish them out and  plunge them in a bowl filled with ice water.  This is called blanching.  Remove the leaves and let them dry on paper towels. Place the leaves in a blender.  While pureeing the leaves, add in half a cup of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Preheat the grill.

Slice 2 pounds of summer squash and zucchini into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Cut them at an angle so there is more surface area for the grill.  (School is about to start, I had to sneak in some math vocabulary!).  Toss these in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a little salt and pepper.  Grill until tender – about 5 minutes per side.

Arrange the grilled squash on a platter and drizzle the top with the basil oil.  Serve warm.

 

If you still have more squash and some fresh corn, try Summer Squash and Corn Chowder.  Yum!

Happy 19th Anniversary to my wonderful husband!  Thank you for always supporting this crazy hobby.  I love you.

~ The Mildly Manic Mom