Zucchini Sabzi

When there is a glut of zucchini from the garden, I look for different ways to use them up to add some variety. While zucchini bread is delicious, here's a curried dish that carries its own moisture to eat with both wet and drier dals. 

2 tsps. mild oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 green chillies finely chopped or 1 good pinch red pepper flakes

1" knob of ginger, finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

⅛ tsp asafoetida (hing) optional

1 medium onion (6oz/170gr) finely chopped

2 medium zucchini cut into ½ inch pieces (about 20oz)

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder 

½ tsp garam masala powder

salt to taste (trying 1 tsp)

2 tsps. to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white wine vinegar

2 Tbsps. coriander leaves (cilantro)

1. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds to toast.
2. When cumin is fragrant add the ginger and the garlic, the chillies and asafoetida. Saute for 30 seconds till the raw smell of ginger and garlic disappears.
3. Add the onion and cook until they soften.
4. Add the chopped zucchini, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix everything well.
5. Cover and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, till fork tender. Stir in between. Zucchini contains 95% of water so you may not need to add extra water while cooking, but use your judgment to avoid scorching the spices.
6. Once the zucchini is cooked add the lemon juice and coriander leaves.
7. Mix well and serve with roti, paratha, or rice.

Mixed Grains Salad (name sucks, salad's delicious!)

This sounds disgustingly healthy. In fact, it is playfully delicious. The grains all provide a pleasant bite with a good mix of crunch from the nuts, seeds, and veg and little bursts of sweet and fresh throughout. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup (105g) wheat berries

3/4 cup (75g) brown rice

1 cup (105g) pot barley

1/4 cup (55g) olive oil

2 Tbsps. tamari sauce + 2 Tbsps. water

1/4 cup (60 g) lemon juice

1 Tbsp (18g) Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

4 green onions, thinly sliced (60 to 80g)

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced

1/3 cup (50g) dried cranberries

1/2 cup (65g) roasted hazelnuts, chopped

1/2 cup (70g) toasted sunflower seeds

1. Boil some salted water in a saucepan and cook the wheat berries at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
2. Add the brown rice and gently simmer for another 25 minutes. 
3. Add the barley and cook another 20 minutes, until all the grains are tender. The wheat berries and the brown rice should start to split. Drain any excess water from the pot right away, otherwise the grains will continue to take on water and the starches will settle on the outside of the grains making for an unpleasant gelatinous texture in the finished salad.
4. In large bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Add wheat berries, brown rice, barley, green onions, red pepper and raisins. Toss to combine. Stir in hazelnuts and sunflower seeds.

Parsi Zucchini Frittata

Based on Madhur Jaffrey's Parsi Omlate, this egg, um ... pie... thing... miracle! is a fluffy, flavorful pan-full of heaven. The browning hides a flavorful soft middle of almost cake-like texture.

1 lb zucchini, grated
3⁄4 + 1 tsps salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped (170g) (or 1 cup finely chopped chives, see NOTE)
1 medium potato, diced 1/4 inch pieces (8oz)
2 + 1 Tbsps. vegetable oil
1 hot green chilli pepper, minced
1 large tomato, chopped (8-9oz)
1 1⁄2 tsps. ground cumin
1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper
ground black pepper
9 eggs
3 Tbsps. fresh parsley or 3 Tbsps. cilantro
1⁄4 tsp baking powder

1. Grate the zucchini and mix with 3/4 tsp of the salt. Leave in a collander for 30 minutes, then squeeze all the liquid out. 
2. Meanwhile, chop and measure out the remaining ingredients - it makes the rest so much easier: prepare the onions and the potatoes; chop the tomato; mince the chili; measure out the cumin, cayenne, black pepper; break the eggs in a bowl; measure out the salt and baking powder.
3. Now that everything is chopped, measured and squeezed, heat some oil in an 10 inches fry pan. 
4. Fry the onion and potato and chilli over medium heat until potatoes become just soft. 
5. Add the squeezed zucchini, tomato, cumin, the rest of the salt, cayenne, and a generous amount of black pepper (if using chives, add now). Stir until tomato becomes soft. Set aside.
6. Whisk the eggs until frothy, then dump in the cooled vegetables along with some finely chopped parsley or cilantro. 
7. Sprinkle in the baking powder, making sure it dissolves completely.
8. Wipe clean your fry pan, add the last tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, set the temperature to med-low, pour in the egg mixture. Cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the centre gels. 
9. (Optional) Here's the tricky part. You have to flip the whole pan over to slide the omlate back into the pan to cook the top. To do this, use a dinner plate, place it over the pan, holding it with one hand, and use the other to lift and flip the pan. The bottom of the omelet should be a beautiful brown. Now, slide the omelet back into the pan so that the browned part is on top and cook another 5 minutes or so, uncovered. Flip it onto a plate again to serve.
10. NOTE: If using optional chives, fry the potatoes and chilli (add more chilli if you want it hotter) and fry until potatoes become just soft. Add the chives to the ingredients in step 6.

Table d'hôte #6

For a hot summer day, cool meals are king. But to make the flatbread, a separate or summer kitchen is best because it bakes hot and for a long time.

Starter - Coleslaw with Vinaigrette

Main - Onion Flatbread

Side - Wheat Berry Salad

Dessert -  

Hummus Sandwich

LHSS Score: 8.6 / 10 with Coleslaw with Vinaigrette

LHSS Score: 8.2 / 10 with Salade de Carrottes

Per sandwich

60g hummus

100g Coleslaw with Vinaigrette or Salade de Carrottes

1/8 to 1/4 tsp horseradish sauce

2 slices Commons Yogurt Bread (160g)

1. Toast the bread.
2. Spread the hummus on the bottom piece of bread.
3. Evenly spread the salad on top of the hummus.
4. Spread the horseradish sauce on the other slice of bread (it will be quite thin).
5. Put the two sides together and enjoy!

Table d'hôte #5

The bartha and oatcakes combination rarely fails to surprise. The oatcakes are meant to be used like injera bread when eating Ethiopian curries. The coleslaw brings in the brightness and crunch.

LHSS Score 9.2 / 10

Starter - Coleslaw with Vinaigrette

Main - Split Pea and Greens Bartha

Side - Staffordshire Oatcakes

Dessert -  

Table d'hôte #4

This makes for a warming cold weather plate, seasonally appropriate from autumn into winter.

LHSS Score incl. 8.2/10

LHSS Score without cake 9.1/10

Starter - Coleslaw with Vinaigrette

Main - Split Pea Soup

Side - Yogurt Commons Bread

Dessert - Oat Spiced Apple Cake