Zucchini & Feta Summer Gratin

Thursday, July 25, 2013





In my book, summer cooking is all about the "F's". ... I can see some eyebrows already getting higher so let me explain... 

.... F as in Fresh,   Fragrant,   Fuss-free,   Flavourful food.....

....and.....

Feta cheese!!!!!

I adore feta cheese! It is in my genes, I am Greek after all, but even if I wasn't I am sure I would have found my way to a barrel of this heavenly dairy creation! Excuse the hyperbole but I seriously have a crush on this cheese. I know because I can never get tired of eating it!. 

What makes me even happier than a piece of fresh, firm piece of feta drizzled with olive oil, oregano and a ripe tomato  on the side, is a recipe which uses my favourite cheese is a way that works in harmony with the rest of the ingredients.

This lovely summer dish is made with seasonal ingredients. Zucchini is the undisputed king of summer  and an all-time favourite of mine, and together with fennel and dill they make the Holy Trinity of summer aromatic combinations. The feta is there to bind everything together. Its salty sharpness is  beautifully tamed by the sweetness of the vegetables leading to a perfect harmony of flavours.

I have to apologise for the bad photograph. I was supposed to leave it to cool down a bit before I take the picture but that was simply impossible. The smell was so tantalisingly appetising I just snapped a quick one and grabbed a spoon....  It was all gone in less than 10 minutes.

I will be making this recipe again and again and again and maybe one of these times I will remember to take a better one!

~~~~~~~~~
Zucchini & Feta Summer Gratin
Adapted from Argyro Barbarigou, Gastronomos June 2008
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 big zucchini, grated
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
400 gr feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, grated
Instructions
Place the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle it with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix it well and leave the zucchini in the colander for about 10 minutes. We do this so that the zucchini would be able to release most of its liquids.

In a large pot heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and fennel for 5 minutes, just until they start to glisten and become transparent. We don't want them to become brown!

Squeeze the zucchini with your hands to remove as much of the liquid as possible and then put in the pot with the onion and fennel. Cook for 5 more minutes and then remove from the heat. Leave it to cool down a bit for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and add the crumbled feta cheese. Add a bit of pepper but be careful with the salt because there is already salt in the zucchini and the cheese is quite salty. Stir it very well and add it to the zucchini mix together with the chopped dill.

Oil an oven-proof deep dish and pour in the mixture. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until the surface becomes golden.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving - if you can control yourselves that is!!!!

Enjoy!


Socca Pesto "Pizza" / Σόκκα {Πιτούλα από Ρεβύθι}

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

(Συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο τέλος της σελίδας)

Me: "Socca is a perfect and beautiful thing"!!!!!

Perplexed Anonymous Reader: "It is a pancake made of chickpea flour and water, what's perfect and beautiful about it"? 

Me: Firstly.... well done Perplexed Anonymous Reader for knowing what socca is!!!! I had to look it up the first time I made it.... I was not even sure how to pronounce it....socca... like... em... sock?!!! sounded silly but nice - right up my alley ;)

Now to answer your question.. What is beautiful and perfect about socca is not just its rustic, almost earthy taste, nor its bright yellow-happy-sunshine colour. 

What is beautiful and perfect about socca is that you don't have to use a knife at any time during its preparation! Scoop flour, mix with water, add herbs and spices, let it rest - socca comes from the south Mediterranean so it knows how to appreciate a good rest, anything from 2 to 12 hours if you are willing to indulge it - roast and eat with fingers. Forks and especially knifes are optional!


I had a bad run in with a knife last Friday! 

Thank God I still have all ten fingers but I also have five stitches and a big bundle of bandage wrapped around my middle finger. 


The surgeon who stitched  my finger suggested I go around town greeting all those I don't really like, with my bandaged middle finger kept always in an upright position - naughty, really very naughty! He must have quite a few grievances...poor guy!!!

Anyway, this week's recipe for French Friday with Dorie Socca from Vieux Nice could not have come at a better time. No knifes, minimum use of hands, but endless possibilities for flavour combinations. 

You have the one that Dorie suggests in her book, "Around my French Table". It has rosemary, salt and lots of pepper; very Provençal and utterly delicious. 

You can give it a middle eastern twist by adding za'atar and roasted cumin seeds. Or you can be a bit adventurous and add a pinch or two of  Garam Masala for a sweeter, exotically fragrant version. This is actually my favourite!


You can keep it simple. Roast it in the oven or in a pancake pan and eat it as bread...


Or... you can go -  I don't want to say it but -  a bit overboard and make this Blockbuster....

A socca pizza topped with a fresh pesto made from basil, mint and walnuts, prosciutto, cherry tomatoes and parmesan!

Whichever version you choose to make you cannot go wrong with this one! It is dead easy, very tasty, gluten free and as long as you have a cupboard full of spices and herbs you can never get bored with it!

And this my dear I-Hope-Not-so-Perplexed-any-more Anonymous Reader is why I think socca is a perfect and beautiful thing!


~~~~~~~~~~
Socca Pesto "Pizza"
Makes 2 8in/20cm soccas
Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Optional seasonings: chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, za'atar, garam masala
For the Pesto

  • 2 cups basil leaves, washed and dried with a paper towel
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt & pepper
Additional "Pizza" Toppings

  • 4 strips prosciutto 
  • 5 cherry tomatoes cut in quarters
  • Thin parmesan slices
Instructions

Make the pesto first

  1. Put all the ingredients in a small blender and blend until it has reached the consistency that you desire! 
Make the socca

  1. Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt and herbs/spices of your choice in a small bowl. Let it rest. The minimum rest time is 1/2 hour. You have to give the flour time to absorb the water. The batter can rest covered in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. 
  2. When you are ready to make the socca, place an oven rack in the top position and turn on your oven grill to the maximum. Place a pan on the rack and let it stay there for 5 - 10 minutes. Be very careful how you are going to handle the pan!!! It is going to be very hot!!!
  3. Very carefully take out the hot pan. Add a teaspoon of olive oil, swirl it around a bit to cover the whole surface of the and pour in the half the batter. Tilt and move the pan around so the batter coats the its entire surface.
  4. Put the pan under the hot grill for 3 to 5 minutes, until you see the top of the socca begin to blister and brown. It should be flexible in the middle but crispy on the edges. Spread the pesto onto the hot socca. Place the rest of the ingredients (prosciutto, tomatoes, parmesan) and enjoy!!!
  5. Do the same for the leftover half of the batter.
French Fridays with Dorie (FFwD) is an online cooking group where we cook recipes from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook "Around my French Table". We do not publish the recipes on our blogs. You can buy your copy of the book from The Book Depository for free worldwide delivery. For more information about our group and on how to join us click here

Η Σόκκα που λέτε είναι ένα υπέροχο πράγμα!

Ναι εντάξει σύμφωνοι είναι ένα υπέροχο πράγμα.. αλλά τί είναι?

Αμ εδώ σε θέλω κάβουρα! Ούτε και γω ήξερα μέχρι που διάβασα τη συνταγή στο βιβλίο της Dorie Greenspan Around My French Table  και τώρα που ξέρω είμαι πραγματικά πολύ, πολύ ευτυχισμένη!

Γιατί είναι η πιο εύκολη πιτούλα - ψωμάκι που υπάρχει! Φτιάχνεται με αλεύρι από ρεβίθια και νερό.

Είναι δηλαδή χωρίς γλουτένη και δεν έχει και πολλές θερμίδες! Αλλά μας δίνει τη δυνατότητα για ατελείωτους γευστικούς συνδυασμούς. Έχουμε και λέμε λοιπόν... Δεντρολίβανο, θυμάρι και χοντρό αλάτι αλά Προβενσάλ, ή κάτι πιο ανατολίτικο με ζατάρ και κύμινο, και το αγαπημένο μου, ένας εξωτικός συνδυασμός με γκράραμ μασάλα ή berbere!  

Γι'αυτο σας λέω ότι η Σόκα είναι ένα υπέροχο πράγμα! Και όταν τη φτιάξετε μπορείτε να την φάτε σκέτη ή να την αλείψετε με λίγο αρωματικό πέστο, να κόψετε 2 - 3 ντοματάκια και λίγες φετούλες προσιουτο και να την κάνετε πίτσα!

Δοκιμάστε τη και θα με θυμηθέιτε!

~~~~~~~~~
Σόκκα {Πιτούλα από Ρεβύθι} με Πέστο
Για 2 πιτούλες 20 εκατοστών
Υλικά

  • 1 φλιτζάνι αλεύρι από ρεβύθια
  • 1 φλιτζάνι νερό
  • 1 1/2 κουταλιά της σούπας ελαιόλαδο, και λίγο ακόμα για το ταψί
  • 1/2 κουταλάκι του γλυκού αλάτι
  • Διάφορα μυρωδικά ψιλοκομμένα (δεντρολίβανο, θυμάρι, ρίγανη), σκόνη τσίλι, κύμινο, καπνιστή πάπρικα, μείγματα μπαχαρικών (za'atar, garam masala, berbere)
Για το Pesto
  • 2 φλιτζάνια φύλλα βασιλικού, πλυμένα και στεγνωμένα σε χαρτί κουζίνας
  • 1/2 φλιτζάνι καρύδια
  • 1/3 φλιτζάνι ελαιόλαδο
  • Χυμός από 1 λεμόνι
  • Αλάτι και πιπέρι
Για να την κάνουμε "Pizza"
  • 4 φέτες προσιούτο
  • 5 ντοματάκια κομμένα
  • Φλούδες παρμεζάνας

Εκτέλεση
Φτιάχνουμε το πέστο

  1. Βάζουμε όλα τα υλικά στο μούλτι και τα χτυπάμε μέχρι να γίνουν πολτός.
Φτιάχνουμε τη Σόκκα
  1. Αναμειγνύουμε καλά το αλεύρι με το νερό και το ελαιόλαδο σε ένα μπολ και προσθέτουμε τα μυρωδικά ή τα μπαχαρικά της αρεσκείας μας μαζί με λίγο αλάτι και πιπέρι
  2. Το αφήνουμε να ξεκουραστεί για τουλάχιστον 30 λεπτά για να απορροφήσει το νερό το αλεύρι. Μπορούμε να το αφήσουμε καλυμμένο στο ψυγείο μέχρι και 12 ώρες.
  3. Όταν είμαστε έτοιμοι να κάνουμε τη σόκκα, βάζουμε τη σχάρα του φούρνου πολύ κοντά στο γκριλ και το ανάβουμε στην υψηλότερη θερμοκρασία. Βάζουμε το ταψί (άδειο) στη σχάρα και το αφήνουμε εκεί για 5 - 10 λεπτά. Προσοχή γιατί μετά θα καίει πολύ!!!
  4. Βγάζουμε προσεκτικά το ταψί από το φούρνο. Προσθέτουμε ένα κουταλάκι του γλυκού, το γυρνάμε γύρω μέχρι να καλυφθεί όλη η επιφάνεια του και ρίχνουμε μέσα το μισό μείγμα. Το γυρνάμε γύρω γύρω μέχρι να καλυφθεί όλο το ταψί.
  5. Βάζουμε το ταψί κάτω από το ζεστό γκριλ για 3 - 5 λεπτά μέχρι να ψηθεί και να ροδοκοκκινίσει. Πρέπει να είναι τραγανό στις άκρες και ελαστικό στη μέση.
  6. Αλείφουμε πέστο και αραδιάζουμε από πάνω τα ντοματάκια, το προσιούτο και την παρμεζάνα.
  7. Κάνουμε το ίδιο για το υπόλοιπο μείγμα.