The heat is on. So we stick to deliciously simple lunches that suit the summer weather. This summer zucchini lunch with cheddar-yolk sauce is ready in less than half an hour. In this hot weather you should not sweat any longer in the kitchen. This is a very simple, straightforward and classic lunch. But the surprise of the chef is of course in the cheddar egg-yolk sauce. You can use it as a special alternative to mayonnaise.
Summer zucchini lunch with cheddar-yolk sauce
Ingredients
- 150 gram penne
- 100 gram ham
- 1 zucchini
- 50 gram cheddar
- 1 yolk
- pepper
- salt
- basil
Instructions
- Bring enough water to a boil to cook the penne according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, cut the zucchini into strips about the same size as the penne.
- Do the same with the ham.
- Heat olive oil in a wok or pan. Fry the zucchini strips for a few minutes on a medium heat.
- Mix the egg-yolk under the cheddar cheese. also add three tablespoons of the cooking water. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Drain the penne when they are cooked. Mix them in a bowl with the zucchini strips.
- Add the ham and some finely chopped basil leaves.
- Finally, mix in the cheddar egg-yolk sauce. Mix everything well again.
- Serve in deep plates and garnish with a basil leaf.
Nutrition
Variations on summer zucchini lunch with cheddar-yolk sauce
mayonnaise
As indicated before, you can also bind this recipe and season it with mayonnaise. You can find a simple recipe that never fails in the article Mahonnaise, the origin of mayonnaise. We’ll talk about the cheddar-yolk sauce later.
Vegetarian variants
Even if you don’t eat meat, you can still make this lunch very tasty. For example, think of feta and some cherry tomatoes. Or why not boiled beans? In the fish direction, smoked mackerel is also a tasty alternative.
From ham to bacon
There are countless types of meat that you can use in this pasta. In this case I used cooked ham, because I wanted to minimize the work. Alternatively, you can also use bacon or bacon cubes. Then it is a bit crispier, and you have a bit more crunch. But baking it is an extra step, and in this weather the ambition for that was very limited.
About Cheddar
Why using Cheddar, an typical English cheese, in a fairly Mediterranean lunch? Well, Cheddar is more Mediterranean than you might think. It is produced in Somerset, south of Bristol in the southwest of England. This region is also called the English Riviera, because of the surprisingly mild climate.
The spicy taste of this well-known orange cheese is created during the two-year ripening process. Cheddar can be a deep to pale yellow (off-white) color, or a yellow-orange color when certain plant extracts are added, such as beet juice. One commonly used spice is annatto, extracted from seeds of the tropical achiote tree. Originally added to simulate the color of high-quality milk from grass-fed Jersey and Guernsey cows, annatto may also impart a sweet, nutty flavor.
About the cheddar-yolk sauce
Zucchini is not exactly the best flavor carrier in the world. So we could use something else to add some character to this summer zucchini lunch with cheddar-yolk sauce. Cheddar, on the other hand, brings a lot of flavor through the long ripening process. That is why it is the ideal addition to this lunch.
The egg yolk is the adhesive, which ensures that the sauce adheres to the other ingredients. A few tablespoons of cooking water from the penne complete the sauce. It also contains some starch from cooking, and ensures that the sauce becomes smooth and the cheddar already melts halfway. I wouldn’t add salt anymore, but pepper is always okay.
More surprising.summerlunch
Summers are getting longer and we urgently need more variety in light lunches that still taste well in these tropical temperatures. Here you will find more ideas:
- Summer lunch with chicken and croutons
- Easy vegetarian Greek pasta salad
- Cappelletti con passata
- Summer pasta salad with green beans and tuna
- Healthy lukewarm green Greek pasta salad
- yellow-green summer pasta
If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.
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