Zucchini with Almond, Onion and Tomato

This is a recipe I used to cook when I was a teenager. I had forgotten about it until recently, when my mother sent my old cooking books down from my hometown Sydney. It was great to read again, the recipes of which I used to cook as a culinary obsessed adolescent.
The original recipe for this dish included sweet caramelized almonds, and I must say I thought the idea rather novel at the time. Back then I made the dish without the caramelized almonds because my mother didn’t have an appreciation of sweet things in a savoury dish, and it was too radical to even think of adding the almonds. Now that I’m a big boy, I do include the sweet crunchy almonds. I always get my way in the end. Ha!
To prepare the caramelized almonds simple toss some blanched almonds with a bit of sugar, a pinch of salt and a tiny drizzle of oil in a pan. The sugar will melt and coat the almonds lightly. The almonds are ready when they have turned a golden brown colour.
It is a revolting 42c today here in Melbourne and I am beginning to feel the sweat dripping down my arm as I type (not the most glamorous of descriptions, but so it is). So I bid all farewell until next year. We hope everyone has a wonderful New Year-prosperous and full of delicious foods to eat and wine to drink.

Components
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500 g zucchini (courgettes), sliced
400g tin Italian tomatoes, crushed with a fork
Stock
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
A handful of caramelized almonds (see story above)

Process
Heat the olive oil in a pan, and gently sauté the onion, garlic and oregano.
Add the zucchini (courgettes) and allow to very lightly brown- about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and enough stock to moisten the dish (about 100 ml or so). Cover the pan and simmer until the zucchinis are just cooked- cooking time shouldn’t be more 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot, warm or room temperature with the almonds sprinkled over the dish just before serving. Serves 4.

Harleygate

Oh my god! It was so hot last week, that I could barely think about food. Five days in a row of over 35c of suffocating heat, is getting a bit much for me. My solution to this food dilemma is to prepare salads for dinner. I am not really one to crave grilled vegetables and salads but in summer, the weather gets the better of me.
I am dedicating this salad to my “friend” Harley, thus naming it “Harleygate” Though, feel free to call it by what it really is-

White Zucchini, Walnut and Parmesan Salad.

Ingredients
4 white zucchini (use normal green zucchini, if unavailable)
50g roasted walnuts
About 6 handfuls of mixed salad leaves (rocket, baby spinach etc)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for grilling
2 tsp tarragon vinegar
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Parmesan cheese shavings (please use genuine Parmagiano-Reggiano)

Method
Slice your zucchini into 5mm lengths. You should get four from each zucchini. Place them in a large bowl and toss them with olive oil and salt.

Lay them onto a baking sheet and grill them under a high heat, until golden brown on both sides. Depending on the heat of the grill, they should take 5 to 10 minutes each side. Allow them to cool completely.
Whisk together the extra virgin oil, tarragon vinegar, salt and pepper.

Toss the leaves, zucchini, walnut pieces and tarragon dressing very gently but thoroughly in a large bowl. Check for salt and pepper.

Serve on a huge platter with the Parmesan shavings, sprinkled over the top.

Eat immediately. With bread only, this salad will serve 2.

If you wish to serve this as a first course, there is enough to serve 4

Just Zucchini

Zucchini was on my “hate to eat list” for many years. I blame my mother for this. Imagine taking a large quantity of zucchini and sautéing them with the usual aromatics (onion, garlic, herbs). Now continue to cook and then some more. About one hour in total. And stir, as you cook all the life out of them. And do not be gentle when you stir- break up the zucchini as you go along. Cook it until it turns into a murky sludge. Now add tomato paste and flour. Yes flour. Just to make it even more stodgy. And cook again. The contents of the pot are beginning to look like the insides of a dead cat. Delicious! Now you can add beaten eggs and processed cheese. I am salivating right now. And just when you thought you could not do anything more to zucchini, pour the whole lot into a baking dish and into the oven. The final dish will look like vomit on a plate. I have no idea where she got this recipe from, but I think my grandmother made it too. It was revolting and I remember being forced to eat it. Mum, if you are reading this and you still make this, you need to stop before it too late…

Zucchini with Gremolata

Ingredients
500 g zucchini, sliced 5mm thick
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
3 tbsp of finely chopped parsley
Zest of half a lemon, finely chopped
I garlic clove, finely chopped

Method
Heat the oil in a wide pan, over a moderate heat.
Add the sliced zucchini and stir them about to cover in the oil. Season well.
Put the lid on and allow them to sweat and cook gently for about 20 minutes. Stir them gently every 5 minutes, so everything cooks evenly.
After 20 minutes or so they should be bright green and just tender.
Turn of the heat, add the remaining ingredients and cover for a minute for the aromas to fuse together.
Serve warm or cold. This goes well with fish. Serves 2 –4 people as a side dish.

Light and Easy

I made this last night for dinner. It is easy, light and delicious. It is also prepared in no time (yesterday was one of those days). I guess the yoghurt is optional. But it does add a certain zingy-ness. Substitute with thick cream if you are feeling that lazy. Serve this spring soup with a plate of prosciutto or Spanish jamon and crusty bread.

Cream of Zucchini (or Courgettes)

Ingredients
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (use the mortar and pestle)
1.2 kilos of zucchini, washed and cubed
2 sprigs of fresh basil
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 tsp dried greek oregano
About 1 litre of chicken stock (fake is fine)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Toasted pinenuts, for crunch (optional)

Method
Saute the onions, garlic and coriander seeds in the oil and butter for about 10 minutes, until softened.
Add the zucchini and herbs, pop the lid on and sweat for 10 minutes over a gentle heat.
Add the stock, bring to the simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool and then puree with whatever gadget or machine you have. Reheat and season well.
This will make enough soup for 6 soup bowls. Serve it a sprinkling of pinenuts, a dollop of mint yoghurt and a drizzle of extra virgin.

Note- of course feel free to adjust the texture and thickness of this soup, to suit your taste.

Lemon and Mint Yoghurt

Ingredients
250g sheep milk yoghurt
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp of extra virgin
10g green onion, very finely chopped
1 lemon, zest finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients to combine. Apart from this soup (which is what I invented it for), serve with grilled audergines (eggplant), lamb and potatoes.

Spagetti with Clams, Garlic Butter & Zucchini

There is one food that I am a total snob and completely fussy about and that is pasta. I must admit that I never order pasta when I eat out because past experiences have almost always been bad. There have been few exceptions to this, (mainly fine Italian restaurants) but these have been few over the years. These days I prefer to cook and eat pasta at home, where I am in control and I can cook it the way I like it.

These are a few points which I think are crucial to creating a good dish:

1. Pasta has to be cooked right. Soft pasta is revolting. It reminds me of food you would serve to an old man with no teeth. The whole point of pasta is the texture. Most cooking times on the packet are too long but not always. I find that taking about 2 minutes of the time specified works about right. But always check- the pasta should be firm, but not chalky to the bite. I can tell if pasta is overcooked just by looking at it. Try it this way. If you think its not cooked enough, your palate will adjust over time and you will realize that pasta isn’t simply a bland carrier for a meat sauce. Al dente pasta (firm pasta) will shine with the simplest of sauces because you haven’t robbed it of its texture.
   
2. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain it immediately. You need to work fast. Pasta keeps cooking as you dress it and if you are slow doing this the pasta will be overcooked by the time you get it to the table. Which is another good reason to cook it a bit firmer than most people are used to. When you drain the pasta in a colander, give it a few firm shakes leaving it a bit moist. If you drain it too dry, the pasta will absorb too much sauce. Put the pasta back into the saucepan you used to cook it and drizzle immediately with olive oil. Tossing it in olive oil will prevent the pasta from sticking together. It will glisten and remain separate, rather than a glutinous mass on the plate. Give it a good toss and then add the sauce. Sometimes it is better to add the pasta to the sauce (i.e aglio olio, vongole etc.)
   
3. Please don’t over sauce the pasta. Toss the pasta with just enough sauce to cling to it. It shouldn’t be swimming in sauce and there should be more pasta than sauce. As I serve the pasta I like to top each dish with a spoonful of sauce. Check for salt before serving, as under seasoned pasta is vile.
   
4. And a final point- Parmesan cheese doesn’t go with all pasta dishes. I don’t like it with oily sauces (it interrupt the slipperiness) or sauces where chilli is a prominent flavour (Parmesan cheese and chilli clash. Pecorino may be a better option here).
   
   

Ingredients
200 g long thin pasta (spaghetti, linguine etc)
100g tiniest zucchini you can find (mine where 5cm long)
1 garlic clove, crushed but whole
2 parsley sprigs
Vegetable oil for deep frying
300g clams
40g butter
40ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (extra)
Lots of coarsely chopped parsley
Salt
Fresh white pepper

Method
Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan with the whole garlic clove and the parsley sprigs. Do this over a medium heat, rather than a high heat. That way the oil heats evenly. You don’t need a huge quantity of oil. The amount of zucchini is small, so as long as they are submerged it will be fine.
When the oil is hot, discard the garlic and parsley and add the whole zucchini (including the flowers, if they are still attached).
Fry until golden brown. This will only take a few minutes. Drain them on a paper towel and set them aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
While the water is heating, very gently cook the chopped garlic in the butter and olive oil. Watch the garlic doesn’t burn.
When the water has boiled, salt it well and add your pasta. Cook it as described above.
Now turn the heat up a bit in the pan with the garlic, add your clams and cover. The clams are ready as soon as they open. This will take only a few minutes.
Turn the heat off. If you have timed this right the clams should be ready waiting for the pasta.
Add the drained pasta and the zucchini to the pan and toss it all about. Check the seasoning and add plenty of parsley. Serves 2. And please, no cheese here.