I found these funky round zucchini vegetables at the supermarket, and thought they'd be perfect for stuffing! Also because they're slighty "sturdier" then regular zucchini, so if you like the taste of crunchy vegetable, this is the option for you! I also had some left-over polenta in the fridge, which I cut up into cubes and lightly stir-fried with some fresh herbs and a little bit of fresh tomato. Aaand, something I haven't had since...gosh, so long ago I can't even remember. I think it was in Australia, so we're looking at 12 years ago: textured soya flakes in a spicy tomato sauce. Delicious!Stuffed Round Zucchini:
(quantities obviously vary depending on how many you need to make: the stuffing ingredients were enough for 3).
- round zucchini/courgettes
- half a red capsicum/pepper
- half a medium-sized aubergine/eggplant
- why do all the ingredients have two names?
- fresh coriander
- a chunk of fresh ginger
- olive oil
- your favorite spices (I used salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric)
Cut the "top" off of the zucchinis (you can keep them for decoration, like little hats). Use a spoon to scoop out the inside. You can either chop it all up, capsicum and aubergine included, or use the grating option thingy on your blender: it's faster.
Stir-fry the lot with your spices and herbs - the zucchini will let out a lot of water, so wait til it's absorbed, and then use a spoon to place the concoction back into the zucchini. Add some olive oil on top, and cook it in the oven! How long for? Well, it really depends on how cooked you like your zucchini. I think I had mine in for about 20-30 minutes, and they were still quite crunchy, which is fine for me because I like the taste of raw vegetables. If you cook them longer they will probably become softer (probably better for kids with aversion to anything that tastes healthy, as well as adults who have been conditioned by the bad culinary habits of modern-day society).
Polenta Chunks:
Prepare the polenta by following the instructions on the packet. Now, that was easy. If you're a first-timer in polenta preparing, be aware: there are two types: the sloooow type, which involves you standing there for an hour mixing uninterruptedly - reminds me of my childhood....don't mean it to sound like child labor...well, it was. But I remember it being sold to me as "Come on, help aunty in the kitchen!". Or the fast type, which magically only needs about 10 minutes cooking, and it's done. You decide how much of a martyr you want to be.
Once cooked, place in an oven dish, or something that has edges around it: the polenta will go hard, and you can then cut it into cubes (note: another delicious recipe involves grilling it! Yummy!).
Lightly stir-fry the cubes with some herbs: sage and rosemary (I also had a spoonful of left-over vegetables from the zucchini stuffing: left it in to give it some color). Add some salt and whatever spices you like.
Vegetarian Ragù
I woozed up three ripe tomatoes (sorry, "woozed" is the word I've always used...quite onomatopeic, but probably not a word) - so what I mean is: place three tomatoes in a food processor, and...woozz them up. Place in a pan, add the dry soya flakes (about a cup), and let it cook in the tomato sauce for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has dried up a bit. Add salt and any other herbs or spices you like (I made mine quite spicy, which went quite well with the zucchini), as well as fresh ginger to give it the extra spicy edge.
Love the spicy edge.
- half a red capsicum/pepper
- half a medium-sized aubergine/eggplant
- why do all the ingredients have two names?
- fresh coriander
- a chunk of fresh ginger
- olive oil
- your favorite spices (I used salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric)
Cut the "top" off of the zucchinis (you can keep them for decoration, like little hats). Use a spoon to scoop out the inside. You can either chop it all up, capsicum and aubergine included, or use the grating option thingy on your blender: it's faster.Stir-fry the lot with your spices and herbs - the zucchini will let out a lot of water, so wait til it's absorbed, and then use a spoon to place the concoction back into the zucchini. Add some olive oil on top, and cook it in the oven! How long for? Well, it really depends on how cooked you like your zucchini. I think I had mine in for about 20-30 minutes, and they were still quite crunchy, which is fine for me because I like the taste of raw vegetables. If you cook them longer they will probably become softer (probably better for kids with aversion to anything that tastes healthy, as well as adults who have been conditioned by the bad culinary habits of modern-day society).
Polenta Chunks:
Prepare the polenta by following the instructions on the packet. Now, that was easy. If you're a first-timer in polenta preparing, be aware: there are two types: the sloooow type, which involves you standing there for an hour mixing uninterruptedly - reminds me of my childhood....don't mean it to sound like child labor...well, it was. But I remember it being sold to me as "Come on, help aunty in the kitchen!". Or the fast type, which magically only needs about 10 minutes cooking, and it's done. You decide how much of a martyr you want to be.
Once cooked, place in an oven dish, or something that has edges around it: the polenta will go hard, and you can then cut it into cubes (note: another delicious recipe involves grilling it! Yummy!).
Lightly stir-fry the cubes with some herbs: sage and rosemary (I also had a spoonful of left-over vegetables from the zucchini stuffing: left it in to give it some color). Add some salt and whatever spices you like.
Vegetarian Ragù
I woozed up three ripe tomatoes (sorry, "woozed" is the word I've always used...quite onomatopeic, but probably not a word) - so what I mean is: place three tomatoes in a food processor, and...woozz them up. Place in a pan, add the dry soya flakes (about a cup), and let it cook in the tomato sauce for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has dried up a bit. Add salt and any other herbs or spices you like (I made mine quite spicy, which went quite well with the zucchini), as well as fresh ginger to give it the extra spicy edge.
Love the spicy edge.
1 comment:
I think 'woozed' is a perfect word to use to describe what happens to food in a processor! I intend to teach it to my students. I may start a Chiara Dictionary! What do you think???
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