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Tag: zucchini
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Tortellini carbonara with fresh parasol mushroom and zucchini
We found a beautiful bunch of parasol mushrooms (in Dutch: grote parasolzwammen) in a neighbor’s garden. She was super friendly and gave us one, after we explained how delicious they supposedly were – although we hadn’t tried before.
(Btw: if it’s not the right season or foraging is not your thing: you could substitute the parasol with any other tasty mushroom. Just try to not choose champignons, they’re booooring ;).)
Of course at home I first double checked that this really was a parasol mushroom, but really you can not really go wrong with this one.
People have asked me but I will not explain on this blog; you’ll have to do your own research, find a trustworthy field guide and learn from an experienced forager before you can safely find and eat wild mushrooms.
One tip: start with learning by heart which ones NOT to eat ;). Then proceed with the ones that are unmistakeable, the so called beginner’s mushrooms.
So. I hope your worries have been addressed ;). This parasol mushroom turned out delicious! One of the best I have ever had, I may even like it over many porcini (eekhoorntjesbrood) I have had.
Clean the mushroom (I rinsed it because there was a lot of earth/dirt), check that it is fresh and not contaminated by small animals. Cut a shallot or small onion and a garlic clove. Sauté in oil for a few minutes until light golden brown and fragrant, then add the zucchini and mushroom pieces plus pepper and salt (not too much!) to taste.
Meanwhile, boil the tortellini as long as needed (see packaging).
For the real carbonara: break an egg in a bowl and remove half of the egg white. Now beat the egg. Grate some cheese, Parmesan would be great but I used ripe (oude) Gouda cheese and that turned out really well, too.
Drain the pasta as soon as it’s cooked al dente. Put back in the pan, add the egg, stir, then add in the cheese and some black pepper.
Serve with the vegetables. I put them on top of the pasta. Italians would serve them separately, no doubt.
Don’t forget the olive oil. Olive oil rocks, especially with mushrooms and pasta.
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Buckwheat risotto with green vegetables and herbs
A new favorite: buckwheat risotto! Healthy, heartfelt, full of flavors, absolutely lovely and so easy, too!
Serves 2-3
Boil about 1 liter of vegetable stock. You could make your own, I use organic instant stock powder. Add a tablespoon of kurkuma to the stock if you have that available.
In a frying pan, heat some oil and sauté a small onion (in pieces) and small garlic clove (chopped finely), then add two cups of buckwheat and a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms (in slices).
Stir well, then add one or two cups of stock to the buckwheat. Bring to a simmer, the turn the heat down to low. Allow the stock to be soaked up before adding a new portion. Stir regularly.
After about 20 minutes (halfway cooking time), add green beans. After another 10, add broccoli, zucchini, grated rind of 0,5-1 lemon and kale (I used frozen ‘cubes’ of kale, just put the whole cubes in there and don’t stir from then on). Cover with a lid so the vegetables can steam until ready for another 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, chop lots of mint and parsley so you have two nice handfuls of herbs. Just before serving, top with the herbs, drizzle with generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and possibly lemon juice.
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Easy Summer party dish: tastefully grilled veggies
A grill pan is one of my favorite cooking ‘tools’: it’s fast, easy and healthy and the food looks beautiful.
Try this: chop some garlic and let sit in olive oil for some time.
Cut zucchinis, bell peppers and onions in nice large pieces, so it will be finger food when on the plate.
Cut an eggplant in halves, then quarts, lengthwise, leave the stem on. Slice in the flesh (but don’t cut through the skin).
Brush the garlic oil on the veggies. Use the pieces of garlic to stuff the eggplant with, and also rub some Italian herbs in the carves.
Now put all veggies on the grill (I have one that closes on top, so it grills on both sides simultaneously, like a tosti grill).
While the veggies are being grilled, go out in your garden (or kitchen cabinet) to find herbs, such as rosemary, oregano etc.
You can add the more thick leaved herbs like rosemary and thyme shortly before removing the veggies, the rest right after serving the hot vegetables on a serving plate. The dish is ready when the eggplant is cooked through and the other vegetables are fragrant and hot but still with a bite. Add salt and pepper to taste.
If you have a really good balsamic vinegar, now is a great time to drizzle :). Same goes for olive oil!
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Grilled Zucchini with Rosemary and Garlic
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Hi loves!
Being on the road, I like to work with whatever little means I have to still cook up something great. One of the secrets: OLIVE OIL. Olive oil is magic. It will turn any vegetable, pasta or piece of bread into a delicious bite. Especially if you add freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Another secret: fresh herbs. Especially rosemary. Rosemary always makes everyone go ‘Ooooooh wow… yummy!’ so I got some on the market before we left to enjoy even while being on the road :). It gives off a lovely scent in the van as well!
In a separate container, I keep some olive oil with coarsely cut rosemary and garlic. The oil becomes strongly aromatic after you let it sit for a day or two. This oil is what makes the grilled zucchini a winner.
Take your zucchini and cut it in pieces. Doesn’t matter so much how, just do whatever fits your pan and mouth ;). I also like to slice the whole zucchini in half lengthwise, then carve in a diamond pattern.
Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 20 minutes or so. This will bring out the access water. Then carefully squeeze and discard the fluid. Now drizzle (lots of) olive oil on the zucchini, a few tablespoons per half.
You can now either fry them (pan) or wrap them in aluminum foil and roast (grill). 20 minutes should do it, but just check. I like them ‘done’ all the way through, a bit soggy almost. Combine with nuts, lettuce or crispy bread for crunch.
Enjoy!
Photocredit: Jeremy Keith – Flickr: Grilled zucchini, CC BY 2.0.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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Sweet & sour curry rice
This was one of those moments when all leftovers matched up to a perfect dish. Should work with a variety of veg and curry pastes, but be sure to add the pineapple (for sweetness) and tomatoes (for tartiness).
In our case, we had a piece of courgette, some canned pineapple, a few tomatoes, some sliced pieces of fennel and a handful of nuts & raisins.
We added 5 spoonfuls of penang curry from Thailand, tasted it and took out 3 again for it would have been way to hot otherwise :D. The real stuff from Thailand is definitely different from the ‘real stuff’ in our tokos here in Europe..
Anyway, you can’t really go wrong with this dish.. just fry the fruit & veg in the curry paste until they have a nice bite. This is one of those creations that taste even better the next day, so it doesn’t hurt to make a bit more than you need.
The fluid from the tomatoes and pineapple will make it nice and saucy. Add small cups of water if it dries out too fast. The curry should be shiny when you serve, not dry.
Even better if you can add some onion, garlic and ginger. That will spice it up bigtime, and I’m a big lover of spice.
As always… enjoy!
<3
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Easy Fragrant Homemade Crunchy Crust Pizza
Recently I was preparing dinner for a family party of eight. As I wanted to spend lots of time with my loved ones and not so much time in the kitchen, I was looking for an easy way to make something nicely filling and beautiful. And cheap.
Enter the Turkish market nearby my temporary home. They sell a kind of ready-made flatbread called sıkma. You’ll find it everywhere in Middle Eastern markets and shops. I decided to use the flatbread as a quick & easy pizza base, adding cheese, tomato slices, olives and herbs, and it turned out really nicely.
The next day I made pizza again and this time I used the leftovers of another dish I had made for the party: zucchini spaghetti.
Recipe Easy Fragrant Homemade Crunchy Crust Pizza
It’s real simple:
Top the flatbread with cheese (I used a combo of cow’s Gouda and goat’s Gouda with coriander seeds) and sliced vegetables such as tomato, olives, thinly sliced mushrooms or zucchini. Basically any pizza topping you like.
Add a herb mixture – I used thyme, oregano, white & black pepper and cayenne.
Put it in the oven (around 180-200 degrees) for 10 miutes or so.
Your pizza is done when the cheese has melted and it’s fragrant and crunchy.
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Vegan Spring Rolls
I wish i had taken the time to make a photo that did more justice to the crispy, fresh, nutty, soft-yet-crunchy bite of these darlings.
The truth is i didn’t realy make these spring rolls myself; i just put all the ingredients on the table and had people have their own way with stuffing the Vietnamese rice paper sheets. So in order take a nice picture, i had to grab their creations from their plates and hold them up into the last sun rays of the day… well. You get the picture. The above is the best i could come up with ;).
Now i’ll keep this short and dive straight into the secrets of rolling spring rolls. The idea is: anything goes. I especially like combining two or more vegetables with some green leafs, sesame seeds, sprouts and avocado and then dip them in soy or sweet chili sauce.
For these (almost) raw vegan spring rolls, i made three colorful vegetable combinations:- Zucchini with thyme
- Carrot with hemp and black mustard seeds
- Turnip with roasted sesame seeds
We also had three dip varieties: spicy chili, tahin (= sesame paste) with olive oil and lemon, and soy sauce.
And instead of using avocado (which is really definitely very great for adding creaminess to spring rolls), we enjoyed these with a store-bought lentil sauce that i spiced up a bit.
After all, there was already enough avocado going on inside the avocado lemon pie we’d have for dessert..
Zucchini with thyme
Grate the zucchini or cut it using a julienne cutter. Add a little bit of salt and leave to drain for 20 minutes. The salt will draw the excess water from the zucchini. You may want to catch the fluid and add it to a sauce or soup.
Add thyme to the zucchini to taste, preferably fresh but dried is also ok.
Carrot with hemp and mustard seeds
Grate the carrot or cut it using a julienne cutter. Meanwhile, slowly heat the mustard seeds in a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil. The seeds are ready when they pop rather enthusiastically (whatever that means – just be careful not to burn them and you’ll develop a feeling for it).
Add hemp and mustard seeds including the oil to the carrot. Stir.
Turnip with sesame seeds
Grate the carrot or cut it using a julienne cutter. Add a little bit of olive oil and the sesame seeds. Mine were ready-roasted. Freshly roasted is even more tasty. Roasting obviously makes this dish non-raw, so if raw is a must for you, don’t roast ;). Same goes for the mustard seeds above, by the way.
Rice paper sheets
Soak each sheet in hot water for 10-20 seconds. Take out, spread on plate, fill with desired filling, make sure it has both creaminess and crunch. It’s a nice effect when you see little black sesame or mustard seeds shining through. Roll up while also folding at least one side in, so that sauce inside will not spill all over the place.
Eating with hands and double dipping are allowed.
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Zucchini spaghetti
A week and a half ago i met superchef Michael in an ayahuasca workshop. I’m not sure whether it was his fantastic guitar music and drumming and singing, or his wild ginger hairdo, his wonderful little daughter, the zucchini spaghetti he and Ariella served us, or all of the above, but since then i’ve felt a little bit in love – with the whole wide world.
Of all those beautiful things, there was one that i could recreate at home. Spaghetti made of zucchini, isn’t that brilliant? Now that i’ve encountered it, it seems to be everywhere. But until last week the thought had never occurred to me.
I make spaghetti from zucchini now using a julienne cutter, which i got for only € 6,95.
Here you go, my version of the recipe by Michael and Arielle (from Restaurant Golden Temple in Amsterdam):
Recipe for Zucchini Spaghetti
Cook some tomato chunks (ca 390 ml) with herbs in a pan and cook slowly until the sauce thickens and tastes a bit more sweet. Roast 100gr of roughly chopped walnut in a dry pan. Chop 8 dried tomatoes with a small handful of pine nuts, a tablespoon of fresh parsley and one tablespoon of fresh basil. Stir in the tomato mixture with the tomato sauce.
Cut one zucchini into spaghetti strings. Drizzle with some olive oil and lemon zest (grated lemon rind).
Put the zucchini on a plate, spoon on the tomato sauce and to with walnuts and some pepper and salt and olive oil if you wish.
Zucchini with walnut (oil) and lemon rind is really a winning combination. Try it!
For an extra tasty, hearty tomato sauce:
Fry a small onion in some oil until it’s brown (but not burnt). Add a small clove of garlic, fuinely chopped. fry for an additional 30 secs and then add the tomato chunks.
In stead of onions, you can also use black semi-dried olives. Make sure to use good ones. The ones we in Holland get in the supermarket, are not good. Go to a specialist and taste a few different varieties. You’ll be amazed by the differences in taste and say goodbye to the salty supermarket crappy ones forever!
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Grilled zucchini with mozzarella
Wonderful and healthy quick side dish. A great one if you own a contact grill.
Cut the zucchini in slices and sprinkle with some salt. Let the juices come out while you cut the onion in rings and cut the mozzarella.
Grill the zucchini and onions in the grill pan. Put on a plate, add the mozzarella and make it all beautiful and tasty using olive oil, pepper, salt and and herbs such as basil, oregano and/or rosemary.
Enjoy!