zucchini recipe

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Zucchini Noodles with Herby Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon & Feta: Delicious Every Day – Anna Gare

delicious-every-day

Images and recipes from Delicious Every Day by Anna Gare (Murdoch Books) RRP $39.99

 

Zucchini Noodles with Herby Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon & Feta

  • SERVES 4 •

“If wheat-based pasta leaves you feeling bloated and tired, improvise with zucchini noodles instead. I recently made this for my family to change things up and now it’s our preferred option. (You can make the noodles with a sharp potato peeler and knife but I highly recommend investing in a spiral vegetable cutter.) ” p. 108

 

3 zucchini (courgettes), about 750 g  (1 lb 10 oz)

3 tablespoons olive oil

4–5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

700 g (1 lb 9 oz) medley cherry  tomatoes, halved

zest and juice of ½ lemon

1 handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chopped

1 handful of dill, chopped

1 handful of sweet marjoram  leaves, chopped

20 g (¾ oz/1 small bunch) chives,  finely chopped

120 g (4¼ oz) Greek feta cheese,  crumbled

 

Zucchini noodles with herby cherry tomatoes, lemon & feta • SERVES 4 • If wheat-based pasta leaves you feeling bloated and tired, improvise with zucchini noodles instead. I recently made this for my family to change things up and now it’s our preferred option. (You can make the noodles with a sharp potato peeler and knife but I highly recommend investing in a spiral vegetable cutter.) 3 zucchini (courgettes), about 750 g (1 lb 10 oz) 3 tablespoons olive oil 4–5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) medley cherry tomatoes, halved zest and juice of ½ lemon 1 handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chopped 1 handful of dill, chopped 1 handful of sweet marjoram leaves, chopped 20 g (¾ oz/1 small bunch) chives, finely chopped 120 g (4¼ oz) Greek feta cheese, crumbled Cut the zucchini into manageable pieces for a spiral vegetable cutter. Make noodles according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Bring a large saucepan half-full of water to the boil. Set a large colander over the top of the boiling water, put in the zucchini noodles, cover with a well-fitting lid and steam for 5–7 minutes until al dente. Don’t overcook the noodles or they will lose their shape and break. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Gently fry the garlic for 1 minute, or until soft. Toss in the tomatoes, increase the heat to high and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. Add the lemon zest and juice, the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes blister and are heated through. Strain the zucchini noodles, as they retain water. Serve the herby tomatoes over the zucchini noodles, topped with the crumbled feta.

 

Cut the zucchini into manageable pieces for a spiral  vegetable cutter. Make noodles according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

Bring a large saucepan half-full of water to the boil.

 

Set a large colander over the top of the boiling water, put in the zucchini noodles, cover with a well-fitting lid and steam for 5–7 minutes until al dente. Don’t overcook the noodles or they will lose their shape and break.

 

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Gently fry the garlic for 1 minute, or until soft.

 

Toss in the tomatoes, increase the heat to high and cook for  3 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking.

 

Add the lemon zest and juice, the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes blister and are heated through.

Strain the zucchini noodles, as they retain water.

 

Serve the herby tomatoes over the zucchini noodles, topped with the crumbled feta.

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Zucchini, Feta & Asparagus Tart with Chia Pastry -In The Kitchen -Simmone Logue

In The Kitchen

Recipes and Images from Simmone Logue’s In the Kitchen [Murdoch Books] available now in all good bookstores and online for $39.99.”

 

 

 

Zucchini, Feta & Asparagus Tart with Chia Pastry

 

“A lovely pretty green, this tart sings out springtime. Tiny chia seeds are such a great super food, so one day I thought I’d experiment by working some into the shortcrust pastry for this tart, and we all loved it.”

 

Serves 6–8

Preparation 40 minutes   Cooking 50 minutes

 

 

1 quantity Sour cream pastry (Toolbox, page 34), with 3 tablespoons chia seeds added to the flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks, pale part only, chopped

1 zucchini, about 150 g (51⁄2 oz), grated

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped chives

6 free-range eggs

200 ml (7 fl oz) thin (pouring/whipping) cream

1 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed

100 g (31⁄2 oz/1 cup) grated gruyère cheese

100 g (31⁄2 oz/2⁄3 cup) crumbled feta cheese

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

 

On a lightly floured workbench, roll out the pastry to about 8 mm (3⁄8 inch) thick. Press into a 23 cm (9 inch) loose-based fluted flan (tart) tin and trim the edges. Rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

 

Line the tart shell with a sheet of baking paper, then fill with baking beads or uncooked rice or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beads, then bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Remove the tart shell from the oven; reduce the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F).

 

While the pastry is blind baking, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Sauté the leek over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

 

Spread the cooled leek over the blind-baked tart shell. Squeeze as much water out of the grated zucchini as possible, then arrange on top of the leek. Sprinkle with the mint and chives.

 

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the tart. Lay the asparagus spears on top, then sprinkle with the gruyère and feta.

 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is cooked in the centre and the pastry is golden. This tart is lovely served warm, but is wonderful cold as well — great to take to a picnic.

 

Zucchini feta and asparagus tart

Sour cream pastry

Makes 575 g (1 lb 4 oz)

Preparation 10 minutes + 50 minutes resting

 

 

150 g (51⁄2 oz) chilled salted butter

300 g (101⁄2 oz/2 cups) plain
(all-purpose) flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting

125 g (41⁄2 oz/1⁄2 cup) sour cream

 

 

Chop the chilled butter into chunks, then place in a food processor with the flour. Pulse until the butter is the size of cherries. Add the sour cream and pulse again, until just incorporated.

 

Turn out onto a cool, floured surface and form the dough into a rectangle. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

 

Roll out to the shape and thickness directed in your recipe, then press into your pie or tart tin. Trim the pastry edges, then rest in the fridge again for 30 minutes, before baking and filling according to your recipe instructions.

 

TIP: The pastry can be wrapped up and frozen for up to 3 months; simply thaw it in the fridge for a day or overnight before using.

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Courgette and Cannellini Bean Lasagne: Good + Simple – Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley

Good + Simple Cover

Extracted from Good + Simple by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, $49.99) Photography by Nicholas Hopper.

Foxtel is airing their brand new series Hemsley & Hemsley: Healthy & Delicious, on Mondays at 8.30pm on LifeStyle FOOD

COURGETTE AND CANNELLINI BEAN LASAGNE

SERVES 4

 

3 large courgettes (zucchini)

FOR THE ‘BÉCHAMEL’ SAUCE

250g ricotta

80g Parmesan or pecorino, finely grated, plus extra for sprinkling

1 egg

 

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

1 x 400g tin of

cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves

120g sundried tomatoes (about 20 pieces) in oil, drained

3 tablespoons tomato purée

A pinch of sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

 

1 Add the ingredients for the ‘béchamel’ sauce to a food

processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl

and set aside.

2 Add the ingredients for the tomato sauce to the food processor

(no need to clean out the bowl) and blend until smooth.

3 Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, finely slice the

courgettes lengthways into 3mm-thick pieces.

4 Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/Gasmark 6. Spread about

half the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 16cmx 22cm

ovenproof dish which is at least 8cm deep, as a thin layer.

Top with about a third of the courgette slices in an even layer.

Cover the courgettes with about half the ‘béchamel’ sauce,

then top with half the remaining courgettes in an even layer.

5 Repeat the layering with the remaining tomato sauce,

courgettes and ‘béchamel’, then sprinkle over a final layer

of Parmesan to finish.

6 Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from

the oven and leave to stand for 5–10 minutes before serving.

 

**Variations:

*Feel free to substitute the cannellini beans for chickpeas, aduki beans or butter beans

* The egg can be left out for a slightly sloppy lasagna -still tasty!

*  For a dairy free lasagna, leave out the Parmesan and replace the ‘bechamel’ sauce   with Minty Broad Bean Dip (p.270), laving out the mint.

Courgette and Cannellini Bean Lasagne

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Zucchini, Parmesan & Basil Muffins – BakeClass- Anneka Manning

BakeClass Cover_Jacket

Recipes and Images from BakeClass by Anneka Manning (Murdoch Books).

 

Zucchini, Parmesan & Basil Muffins
Savoury muffins are a great alternative to the sweet ones, especially when served as a snack or instead of bread alongside soup or salad. The zucchini in these makes them lovely and moist while adding substance. (p.86)

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes (+ 5 minutes standing time) Baking time: 25–30 minutes  
MAKES 12
Vegetable oil, to grease (optional)
150 g (51/2 oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
150 g (51/2 oz/1 cup) wholemeal plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
70 g (21/2 oz/2/3 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
65 g (21/4 oz/2/3 cup) coarsely grated vintage cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
185 ml (6 fl oz/3/4 cup) buttermilk
80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) light olive oil or sunflower oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 zucchini (courgettes), about 100 g each, coarsely grated
40 g (11/2 oz/1/4 cup) pine nuts, to scatter
Cayenne pepper, to sprinkle

Zucchini, parmesan and basil muffins

 

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) or 170°C (325°F) fan-forced. Line a 12-hole 80 ml (2½ fl oz/1/3 cup) capacity muffin tin with paper cases or grease with a little vegetable oil.
2 Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, returning any husks left in the sieve to the bowl. Season well with pepper and then gently stir in the parmesan, cheddar and basil. Make a well in the centre.
3 Use a fork to whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil and eggs in a bowl. Add the zucchini and mix to combine. Add to the flour mixture and use a spatula or large metal spoon to fold together until just combined. (Don’t overmix – the batter should still be a little lumpy.)
4 Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin holes, dividing evenly. Scatter over the pine nuts and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Baker’s tip
These muffins are best eaten the day they are baked, however they freeze well – wrap individually in plastic
wrap and then seal in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

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Zucchini Slice

Zucchini slice is easy to make, great for lunch boxes, afternoon teas and to take on picnics. It’s great hot or cold.

Ingredients

2 zucchini, grated (drained to remove excess moisture)
1 large onion finely chopped
3 rashers bacon finely chopped ( or replace with semi sun dried tomatoes)
1 cup tasty cheese grated
1 cup self-raising flour ( plus an extra 2 or 3 tablespoons if mixture is very runny)
½ cup of oil
5 eggs
salt/pepper

Tomato for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a baking tin (any shape about 4-5 cm deep) with non stick baking paper.

Combine drained zucchini, onion, bacon, ( or replace bacon with sun-dried tomatoes if vegetarian), flour and cheese in a large bowl.

Add oil and lightly beaten eggs, and mix.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Pour into tin. Decorate with thin slices of tomato if desired.

Bake for 35-40 mins until golden and set.  Allow to cool slightly before cutting

Enjoy.

I made this for an afternoon tea snack when we had a houseful of visitors over Christmas. It went down very well with adults and teenagers alike.  Any that was left was eaten cold the next day – just as yummy cold.