Simple. Fresh. Italian. Each of those words describe every meal my wife and I ate while traveling the Amalfi Coast on our honeymoon this summer. Another word was a constant as well, a word we did not expect. We noticed that no matter where we went - Ravello, Amalfi, or Positano - zucchini was everywhere. In pastas. On pizzas. Grilled. Fried. Amalfitans love their zucchini, and with good reason, it is amazing when fresh and in season. I translated my food experiences from that vacation into this dish - zucchini involtini.
This dish is perfect for a weeknight meal, a weekend splurge, or a dinner party with friends. There are three components which can all be done up to a day in advance before putting the involtini in the oven to cook before serving. Another reason why this is a perfect dish is because of the ingredients. Tomatoes, ricotta cheese, zucchini, lemon, and basil can be found pretty much year round in grocery stores. So while this dish is representative of my summer, I fully plan on making it this fall and winter as well.
Next we move onto the cheese filling. Traditionally, one would think of mozzarella cheese right? And mozzarella would absolutely work here, but for the sake of my waistline I used part-skim ricotta cheese. Important note here, put the ricotta in a sieve over a bowl and lightly salt it, then leave it for a half hour. This will render a lot of the water out of the ricotta and avoid a soggy end product. Add the cheese to a mixing bowl after salting, and then combine with some fresh basil, Meyer lemon zest, olive oil, and black pepper. 
