One Great . . . roasted zucchini with mint

At the Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, I asked other people what they were cooking. How about me? 

The combination of zucchini and mint had never occurred to me until I saw several other recipes putting the two together recently. Makes sense, though: If you follow the old wisdom that what grows together goes together, late summer is certainly the time when we're overrun by both zucchini and mint. 

My favorite zucchini is golden zucchini, which has the long, straight shape of zucchini with a golden color that's like crookneck squash in Technicolor. The flavor is the same, though, once you cut it and cook it. Still, it makes me think of vivid flavors whenever I see it. If you can't find it, any kind of zucchini will work with this treatment. 

Roasted  Zucchini With Mint

2 to 3 zucchini, each about 4 to 5 inches long

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and ground pepper to taste

About 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees. Cut the zucchini into circles, each about 1/2 inch thick. Place in a single layer on a large jellyroll pan (you may need to use two pans). Pour the olive oil over them, then sprinkle with salt, ground pepper and red pepper flakes.

ROAST about 30 minutes, until the circles of zucchini are soft and browned on the bottom, but not burned. Remove from oven and pour the vinegar over the hot zucchini. 

SCRAPE into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the fresh mint. Toss to miss everything together and serve warm or at room temperature.

YIELD: 3 to 4 servings.