michelle picker cooks

These two recipes elevate the humble zucchini to a new level. The first is a Turkish recipe.

Slice 900g (2 lbs) of zucchinis into 1cm (½”) rounds. Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside. Meanwhile brown 1 thinly sliced large onion in some vegetable oil. Grease an oven dish and place half of the zucchini slices in the bottom. Spread half of the onion over the zucchini and scatter 1 tablespoon of cooked rice over the onions. Top with the remaining zucchini and onions and bake in a moderate oven until the zucchinis are just cooked. In a bowl mix 3 eggs with 2 cups of yoghurt and 2 crushed cloves of garlic. Spread this mixture over the zucchinis and return to the oven until the top is brown.

The second recipe, from Stephanie Alexander‘s Kitchen Garden Companion has some classic Mediterranean flavours.

Soak 2 tablespoons of currants in 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Slice 450g (1 lb) of zucchinis lengthwise into thin slices. Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and fry ¼ of a cup of pine nuts until golden. Transfer them onto some paper towel and set aside. Now in the same pan heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the zucchini slices in a single layer allowing them to brown on both side while still remaining crisp. Transfer the slices to a warm serving dish. Wipe out the pan and place back over high heat. Add 1 clove of finely diced garlic for just a few seconds then add the vinegar-soaked currants followed by the pine nuts, shaking to mix. Spoon this mixture over the zucchinis. Squeeze a little lemon juice over them, season with salt and pepper and garnish with sliced fresh mint before serving.