449 calories per serving, 36 g fat, 39 mg cholesterol, 737 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 20 g protein

Use with Herbed Pan Roast of Salmon with Warm Greens and Herb Vinaigrette

For this recipe, I salt long, think strops of zucchini and serve them raw. The salt flavors the zucchini and draws out its moisture, giving it a deliciously crunchy texture. Sometimes I serve the zucchini on its own with just a dash of olive oil, but it’s also wonderful with this tomato, mozzarella, and cilantro salad, which can be served on its own. Both the zucchini and the tomato salad can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead of serving; if done any further ahead, they both tend to get mushy.

Select firm, dry, fully orange fruit with stems. The rounded variety is generally sweeter and milder than the oval. Rinse kumquats in very hot water, then dry thoroughly.
Stem, rinse, and dry. For a mellow flavor drop into boiling water for 20 seconds, then drain and chill in ice water. Dry and refrigerate.

You can make this sesame sauce in advance and store it, well covered for up to a week in the refrigerator.

To make a longer keeping sesame paste, grind the sesame seeds even more, add sugar and a bit of salt (about 1 Tbs. of sugar and 1/8th tsp. of salt per 3 Tbs. of sesame seed). Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator. This is great on toast, and you can just add a bit of mirin and soy sauce and optionally dashi stock to make a sesame paste on the spot.