Zucchini Cups with Pesto

Get this recipe courtesy of George Vutetakis, former chef of Royal Oak's Inn Season Cafe and author of Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes from My Years at the Legendary Inn Season Cafe .

Traced back seven to eight thousand years in Mexico, the storied squash has been an integral part of Meso-America cuisine and retains culinary significance to this day. In North America, zucchinis were re-introduced by Italian immigrants in the early 20th century, who returned seeds to the hemisphere of origination four hundred years after Columbus introduced several varieties of squash to Europe. It then became a favorite of home gardeners who could grow prolific amounts in the typically expansive lots of the American homestead. 　

For variation, Zucchini Cups may be made from various summer squash of any size. This recipe works best as a starter, but also as a garnish or a side.

Serves 4

Zucchini
1 medium to large zucchini, cut into eight 2 1/2 inch cylinders
Pinch of sea salt

Using a melon baller, carefully scoop out the insides of each cylinder, leaving the bottom intact and creating a cup. Place zucchini cups cored-side-up in baking dish and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or overnight.

Baking Sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon tamari
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 400º F. Remove zucchinis from baking dish and drain. Mix all baking sauce ingredients and spread evenly in baking dish. Place zucchinis cored-side-down on sauce. 　Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and, using tongs, turn the zucchinis cored-side up. Reserve.

Pesto
3/4 cup pepitas, toasted
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 jalapeno chile (optional), stemmed and seeded
8 cherry tomatoes

Change oven temperature to 375º F. In a food processor, grind pepitas to a meal, add all pesto ingredients, except tomatoes, and pulse to a coarse consistency. Fill zucchini cups with pesto, creating a little rounding and then place a tomato on the top of each zucchini. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until the tomato is soft. Serve hot.