Weekly Feature 8/13

My other cookbook obsession is from Yotam Ottolenghi's OTK Shelf Love. There are so many great tomato, zucchini, eggplant, pepper recipes.  I'm never at a loss ensuring I'm using up all the excess produce.

Tomato and Zucchini Loaf with Spiced Tomato Chutney

This is somewhere between a veggie loaf and a bread, as perfect for brunch as it is for afternoon tea. The chutney is pretty special, so make more of it than you need here, and keep in a jar in the fridge, where it will last for at least a week: it’s particularly delicious paired with sharp cheese or all sorts of eggs.

• • 2 zucchini (350 g), grated
  • 275 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 150 g sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 25 g (a good handful) fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 75 mls olive oil (about 5 tablespoons)
  • 70 g Greek style yogurt
  • 75 g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

For the chutney

• • 75 mls olive oil (about 5 tablespoons)
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 45 g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 red chillies, fresh or dried, finely chopped, seeds and all
  • 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • 750 g whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of salt & freshly ground pepper

Equipment

• 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin, about 21 cm long, 11cm wide and 7 cm high (approx. 8 x 4 x 3 inches). Line the loaf tin with a piece of baking parchment that covers the bottom and sides.

Instructions

FIRST MAKE THE CHUTNEY:

1. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and fragrant. Add the tomato paste, spices and sugar and cool for a minute more, then add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper. Turn down the heat, and cook, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes have completely broken down and the mixture is thick.
2. Measure out 150 g and put the rest aside.
3. (The chutney can be made up to a week ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

TO MAKE THE LOAF:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garam masala, sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix to combine. Stir in the cheese and fresh cilantro.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, 4 tablespoons of oil, yogurt and the 150 g of tomato chutney that was set aside earlier.
4. Add the wet ingredients along with the zuchinni to the bowl with the dried ingredients and gently mix to combine. Transfer the mixture to the lined loaf tin. Smooth out the top and place the cherry tomato halves over the surface, pushing them into the dough, cut side up.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of oil.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, then lower the temperature to 170°C and cover the loaf with foil. Continue baking another 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out dry. Set aside to cool in the tin for about 15 to 30 minutes. Slice and serve accompanied by the chutney.
7. Well wrapped, the loaf keeps for up to 2 days and toasted slices are delicious for breakfast. Left-over chutney can be spread on crackers, accompany roasted potatoes, or replace ketchup on a burger.

Weekly Feature 7/23

We're in full summer swing! My go-to book right now is Joshua McFadden's Six Seasons. The Midsummer section features all of our favorites with a new twist. The recipes are fun with lots of flavor bursts and unexpected combinations. 

Squash Ribbons with Tomatoes, Peanuts, Basil, Mint, Spicy Fish-Sauce

 

 

Getting the squash ribbons really thin requires a mandolin slicer, but if you don't have one, do your best with a sharp knife to very thinly slice the zucchini.  The flavors of this dish riff on those in the classic Thai green papaya salad- a deliciously vibrant collison of spicy, salty, tangy, herbal and nutty.  Once you have your spicy fish sauce made, the dish takes no time to assemble.

 

4 medium zucchini or a mix of zucchini and yellow squash
Kosher salt
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
1 small handful basil leaves
1 small handful mint leaves
¼ cup Spicy Fish-Sauce (recipe below)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Using a mandoline, carefully slice the zucchini from the bottom to the top to create very thin ribbons of squash. (If you don’t have a mandoline, just cut the zucchini into very thin crosswise slices, to create rounds.)  Toss the squash with 1 teaspoon salt and put in a colander so the salt can draw out excess moisture.  Let them sit for 30 minutes.  Blot the squash on paper towels to remove the moisture and excess salt.  Pile into a large bowl. 
Add the tomatoes, peanuts, scallions, basil, and mint.  Pour in the spicy fish-sauce sauce and toss again.  Taste and decide whether the salad needs more salt.  Add ¼ cup olive oil and toss again.  Do a final taste and toss, arrange on plates, and serve right away.
Spicy Fish-Sauce Sauce
Makes about 1 ¼ cups
¼ cup seeded, deribbed, and minced fresh hot chiles (use a mix of colors like jalapeno, serrano and cayenne)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir everything together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.  Taste and adjust so you have an intense sweet-salty-sour-hot balance.  Ideally, make this a day ahead, then taste and readjust the seasonings on the second day.  The chile heat is likely to get stronger.  The sauce will keep for a month or two in the fridge.

More ways to use it:
Sprinkle over grilled fish or vegetables.
Use as a dip for salad rolls or lettuce wraps.
Mix with a touch of oil and marinate firm tofu to be grilled.

 

Cucumbers, Scallions, Mint and Dried Chiles

 

This recipe comes together in no time and the combination of cool cukes and hot chilies and frangrant mint is definitely the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cucumbers (a mix of shapes and sizes)

• kosher salt and fresh black pepper

• 1 bunch scallions trimmed (including 1/2” off the green tops; sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes and rained well)

• 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced

• 1 small handful mint leaves

• 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

• 3 tablespoons slightly sweet white wine vinegar such as KATZ Sauvignon Blanc Vinegar

• Extra Virgin Olive oil

• course finishing salt like Maldon

Peel the cucumbers if their skins are tough or waxed. Trim the ends of the cucumbers, halve lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Slice the cucumber into a variety of shapes - moons, angled slices, batons, small chunks. Toss the cucumbers with 1 tsp salt and put in a colander so the salt can draw out the excess moisture. Let them sit for 30 minutes. Blot the cucumbers on the paper towels to remove the moisture and excess salt. Pile them in a large bowl. (salting cucumbers ahead of use reduces sogginess by pulling out moisture and gives them a tighter, “pickled” texture.

Add the scallions, onion, mint chile flakes, vinegar and a few generous twists of black pepper. Hold off on the salt for now. Toss to blend the ingredients. Taste and adjust with more chile flakes, black pepper, vinegar and salt if needed. Wen the flavor of the salad is exciting and balanced, add 1/4 olive oil and toss. Taste and add more oil if needed to balance the flavors. You want plenty of “dressing” pooling in the bottom of the bowl; the cucumbers will continue to drink that up, plus you want the juices to run into the other elements on your plate, such as grilled pork. Serve with a sprinkle of finishing salt if you like for some crunch.