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ZUCCHINI ZONE Use some zucchinis and lots of imagination to whip up some unusual but satisfying main courses
The French word courgette refers to a green-skinned squash that grows easily in temperate climates. In Britain and New Zealand, the vegetable is called a courgette, although it sometimes is referred to as a vegetable marrow. In the US, Canada, and Australia, this squash goes by its Italian name of zucchini (a member of the cucumber family), although it sometimes is called Italian squash or summer squash. We could call it by its Latin name, cucurbita pepo, but that refers to all summer squashes including a couple varieties of pumpkins! This is all very confusing.
Zucchini are composed of about 95 per cent water. This means that preparations made with zucchini can become quite soggy if overcooked or salted too much. The solution is to either salt the raw zucchini to draw out and discard some of the water or to cook the zucchini very lightly, or sometimes both. The recipes included with this article specify the various methods of producing satisfactory results.
Tian De Courgettes De Puisatier
Ingredients
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Zucchini, cut into 5-mm thick rounds: 450 gms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
Yellow onion, finely shredded: 1/2 medium
Coarsely ground lamb: 450 grams
Finely minced, fresh rosemary: 1 tsp
Brown rice, cooked: 100 gm
Vegetable broth: 50 mm
Grated emmenthal cheese: 50 gm
Method
Heat one tablespoon oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the zucchini rounds and season with salt and pepper. Quickly fry the zucchini, stirring often, until it starts to soften. Set aside on a plate in the refrigerator.
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with a little salt. Cook rapidly, stirring continuously, until the onion starts to take on some colour. Add the lamb and rosemary. Continue stirring until the lamb is just brown. Pour the contents of the frying pan into a strainer set over a bowl. Place both in the refrigerator to cool for a while.
After the meat-onion mixture has started to cool, combine it with the cooked rice and the broth. Taste and, if necessary, season with additional salt and pepper. Place half the mixture in a small baking dish. Level the top and press it firmly down. Layer half the zucchini slices on top of the meat. Press down to level the top again. Add the remaining meat, level, and press. Add the remaining zucchini, arranging them attractively. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and press it down.
If not being baked right away, the baking dish should be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until about an hour before cooking. Bring the dish to room temperature before baking. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Bake the dish until the centre is warm and the cheese starts to brown, about 45minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminium foil, and allow the dish to firm up for 10 minutes before serving. The dish serves two.
Courgettes Au Crème De Ciboulettes
Ingredients
Olive oil: half tbsp
Butter: 3 tbsp
Diced onions: 2 tbsp
Diced celery: 2 tbsp
Diced carrots: 2 tbsp
Fresh bay leaf: 1 no
Fresh thyme: 1 sprig
A pinch of salt
Dry white wine: 50 ml
Heavy cream: 200 ml
Zucchini cut lengthwise into 6-mm thick slices: 2 medium (about 150 grams each)
Freshly ground black pepper: 10 gms
Finely minced fresh chives: 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Method
Heat the oil and one tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, and thyme. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Sweat the vegetables until they soften. Add the wine and reduce almost totally. Add the cream and reduce until thickened. While the cream is reducing, heat the remaining two tablespoons butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Season the zucchini slices with a little salt and pepper and add them to the frying pan in a single layer. Cook the zucchini slices until browned a little on each side.
Place the chives in a small saucepan and strain the cream into the chives. Stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. If the zucchini slices are not ready, keep the sauce warm over low heat. Arrange the zucchini slices on individual heated serving plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately. Serves two.
Courgettes Râpées
Ingredients
Zucchini cut into 4-mm shreds2 mediums
A pinch of salt
Olive oil: 1tbsp
Finely shredded fresh basil: 3 tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper: 10 gms
Method
Mix the zucchini shreds with a couple of tablespoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse the shreds thoroughly with cold water. Place the shreds in a clean towel, gather up the ends of the towel, and twist it to squeeze as much water as possible from the shreds.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and the basil. Fry for a couple of minutes until the zucchini is heated through. Season with pepper and serve. Serves two.
Gratins De Courgettes Au Fromage
Ingredients
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Yellow onion, peeled, finely diced: half
Red bell pepper, seeded, finely diced: half
A pinch of salt
Plum tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, diced: 2 small nos
Piment d'Espelette (a type of red chilly)
Leaves from large spring onion: 1 no
Fresh thyme, minced: 10 gms
Freshly ground black pepper: 10 gms
Zucchini cut lengthwise into 2-mm thick slices: 350 gms
Brie, rind removed, cut into 16 small slices: 100 gms
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (355F). Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper. Season with salt. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes, piment d'Espelette, thyme, a bit more salt, and some black pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have softened and are reduced. Lower the heat if the tomatoes appear too dry.
In the meantime, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the zucchini slices for one minute — do not overcook — and then shock in ice water. Drain well.
Divide all but six of the zucchini slices between individual baking dishes. Spoon the tomato sauce over the slices. Arrange the eight cheese slices on each dish. Bake the gratins for 20 minutes. While the gratins are baking, line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the remaining zucchini slices in a single layer on the paper. When the gratins have about two minutes left to cook, add the baking sheet to the oven to reheat the zucchini slices.
Remove from the oven. Arrange three zucchini slices on each gratin by giving each slice a twist and then laying the twisted slice along the perimeter of the dish. Serve immediately. Serves two.
RAKESH GHAI
(The writer is Executive Chef, ITC Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton and Towers)
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