Spiced Cucumbers and Coconut Milk

Recipes that use cucumbers as a main ingredient are pretty hard to find. I almost overlooked this one in a BonAppetit issues. My husband pointed it out and wanted me to make it. It is easy to prepare and absolutely tasty. The cucumbers are cooked for just a couple of minutes and combined with tomatoes and green onions. The dish finishes by cooking in coconut milk and gets a nice splash of lime juice to round up the flavors. Another plus is that the Curry is very low in calorie.

Spiced Cucumbers and Coconut Milk

From BonAppetit
serves 2


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled lemon cucumber (or any other cucumber)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 red Thai chiles (with seeds), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 ½ teaspoons honey
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Fresh lime juice


1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cucumber. Sauté until beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Add tomatoes, scallions, chiles and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are soft, 2–3 minutes.

3. Add coconut milk and honey; simmer until vegetables are cooked through, 2–3 minutes. Stir in cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve with rice, if desired.

Asparagus Frittata

When the temperatures hit almost 100 degrees here the other day I wanted something light for dinner. Our supermarket had just gotten a delivery of  very fresh asparagus and as the season is almost over I decided to make an asparagus frittata. The original recipe calls for boiling the vegetables. I like them better roasted, so I baked them for 15 minutes in the oven to intensify the flavor and soften them a little.

Asparagus Frittata
(adapted from better homes and garden)


1 ½ lbs. fresh asparagus or two 9-ounce or 10-ounce packages frozen cut asparagus
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
⅓ cup chopped onion
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup) (I used broccoli instead)
10 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan


1. Butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.

2. If using fresh asparagus, snap off and discard woody bases. Scrape off scales, if desired. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

3. In a saucepan, bring about 1 inch water to boiling. Add asparagus, pepper strips, and onion; bring just to boiling. Reduce heat slightly; cover and boil about 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Drain well, reserving some asparagus tips for garnish. . (Here is what I did: Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and put the prepared vegetables in one layer on the tray. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the vegetables get soft.) Spread asparagus-pepper mixture evenly in baking dish. Layer zucchini (or broccoli) slices over.

4. Combine eggs, half-and-half, parsley, salt, and pepper, parmesan and smoked paprika. Pour over vegetables in baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving . Garnish each serving with asparagus tips, if desired. Serve warm or cold.
Makes 8 servings.

Zucchini and Hazelnut Salad

I am not really a friend of cooked Zucchini. However, I like them if they have a little crunch, like they do in this salad. The sliced Zucchinis are grilled for a couple of minutes on each side and then marinated in Balsamic Vinegar and Hazelnut Oil. The salad is served with toasted Hazelnuts and shaved Parmesan and makes a perfect appetizer or light salad. If you don't have Hazelnuts you can replace them easily with Pine Nuts.

Zucchini and Hazelnut Salad

(Yotam Ottolenghi)

serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup shelled hazelnuts
7 small zucchini (about 1¾ lb [795 g])
4 tbsp [60 ml] extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp [5 ml] balsamic vinegar
1¼ cups mixed green and purple basil leaves
3 oz [85 g] top-quality parmigiano-reggiano, broken up or very thinly sliced
2 tsp [10 ml] hazelnut oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 300ºF [150ºC]. Scatter the hazelnuts over a baking sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Let them cool down before rubbing them between your hands to remove most of the skins (some should remain). Chop the hazelnuts roughly.

Place a ridged griddle pan on a high heat and leave it there until it’s almost red-hot – at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim the ends of the zucchini and cut them on an angle into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place them in a bowl and toss with half the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place the slices in the hot grill pan and char-grill for about 2 minutes on each side; turn them over using tongs. You want to get distinct char marks without cooling the zucchini through. Transfer to a mixing bowl, pour over the balsamic vinegar, toss together and set aside.

Once the zucchini have cooled down, add the remaining olive oil, the basil and hazelnuts. Mix lightly, then taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Transfer the salad to a flat plate, incorporating the parmigiano-reggiano, and drizzle over the hazelnut oil.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a traditional Middle Eastern Dish and usually served for breakfast in a cast iron pan with bread.  Sweet, caramelized onions, peppers and tomatoes flavored with a pinch of cayenne, thyme and roasted cumin are the ingredients of this unbelievable tasty and aromatic dish. I think it is not only perfect for breakfast but also for a brunch, lunch or a light dinner.

SHAKSHUKA
( Yotam Ottolenghi)
serves 4

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 190 ml  light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 red and 2 yellow peppers, cored and cut into 2cm strips
• 4 teaspoons muscovado sugar
• 2 bayleaves
• 6 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• 6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon saffron strands
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• Up to 250ml water
• 8 free-range eggs

1.In a large saucepan, dry-roast the cumin on high heat for two minutes. Add the oil and sauté the onions for two minutes.

2.Add the peppers, sugar, bayleaves, thyme, parsley and two tablespoons of coriander, and cook on high heat to get a nice colour. Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, adding enough water to keep it the consistency of a pasta sauce.

3.Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be potent and flavoursome. You can prepare this mix in advance.

4.Place four saucepans on medium heat and divide the mixture between them. Break two eggs into each pan, pouring into gaps in the mixture.

5.Sprinkle with salt, cover and cook very gently for 10-12 minutes, until the egg just sets. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with chunky white bread.

Indian Fishcakes with Indian spiced Potatoes

Made from cooked fish and chickpea flour these fish cakes come together really quickly. They don't contain eggs which makes them really light and tender and the indian spices give them a certain warmth but are not overpowering. I served them with Indian spiced Potatoes, also a very easy and healthy dish.

The long list of ingredients might turn you off, but you don't actually need all the spices listed in the recipe. Just take whatever you have in your cabinet or a mix of the spices you like and they will still taste great.

Paneer Fish Cakes
(adapted from Bal Arneson)
makes 6 to 8 cakes)

• For the Fish Cakes
• 1 (6 ounce) cooked salmon or other flaky fillet, skin removed
• ½ cup paneer
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• ½ cup chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves ( I used toasted and grinded coriander seeds)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

• Apple and Fig Chutney  (I used store bought Mango Chutney, but this sounds really good)
• 4 cups whole milk
• ¼ cup vinegar
• Apple and Fig Chutney
• 1 cup chopped gala apples
• ¼ cup dried figs, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 2 cups water
• 
  

Fish Cakes


Mash the salmon with the paneer in a large bowl and then add the yogurt, onion, chickpea flour, spices, salt and pepper and mix well. Form the mixture into small patties about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. 
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and begin to fry patties for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Serve the patties with Apple and Fig Chutney.

Apple and Fig Chutney

Mix the apples, figs, almonds, raisins, cardamom, fennel seed, and water in a medium saucepan and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Let the mixture cool, and then place the mixture in a food processor and puree to a paste. Store the chutney in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Spiced Indian Potatoes

adapted from "Show me the Curry"

serves 2

Boiled Potatoes – 3-4 med., cubed (1/2kg/1.13lb) 

(You can cook them, already cubed, in a microwave friendly dish, covered, on high heat for about 4 - 7 minutes)

Amchur/Dry Mango Powder – 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala – 1/4 tsp

Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder – to taste

Salt
Oil 2 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Dry Red Chili – 1 or to taste

Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp 
Turmeric Powder/Haldi – 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves – few leaves
Green Chillies – to taste, finely chopped

Lemon Juice – to taste

Cilantro – 1/2 bunch, finely chopped

Sprinkle the dry spices (Garam Masala, Mango Powder,Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder) over the cooled potatoes. 

Mix well but gently. 

Add in Salt, a lot of dry spices have salt so do the taste test and mix. 

In a pan, heat Oil on medium heat. Once the Oil is hot, add in Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop. 

Add in the Dry Red Chili (optional). 

Add in Asafoetida, Turmeric Powder, Curry Leaves, Green Chillies in that order. 

Add in the Potatoes and Mix well. 

Sprinkle some Lemon or Lime Juice and Cilantro. Mix well. 

Cook the Potatoes till they are heated all the way through and further if you want them caramelized. 

Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer.

Layered Vegetable Torte

Sorry for the picture, but this is all that was left when I brought this dish to our monthly Potluck. Perfect to prepare in advance, a little bit messy to cut, but absolutely tasty. This torte comes in handy if you have to serve a crowd or need a vegetable side dish for a BBQ. It can be served at room temperature or warmed up in the oven. You can take whatever vegetable you like and I think it would also be great with some feta or goat cheese or on crusty bread. The choice is yours.

Layered Vegetable Torte

(From Mark Bittman)

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into
• ¼-inch slices
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• ½ cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh.
• 
  

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a grill pan over medium-high heat, or prepare a grill; the heat should be medium-high, and the rack about 4 inches from flame. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; if roasting, grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft (10 - 20 minutes).

2. Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.

3. Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings