Tag Archives: vegetables

Minty Zucchini Salad

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Every summer I enjoy fresh mint from my own little garden. I grow three quite common types: pepper, lemon and water mint. All three work really well for cooking and I use them regularly in teas or as a flavor in different kinds of drinks. A few crumpled leaves together with elderflower cordial are a perfect match (with or without gin). Crushed with ice and Lime Mint makes for fantastic mojitos or a refreshing ingredient in a Pimm’s Cup.

It’s easy to grow mint but if you’re not careful, mint plants can rapidly take over your garden plot. Their roots are aggressive and hard to exterminate, so best to plant them in pots or at an unused part of the garden where they can grow freely without interfering with other growing treasures.

There are many different types of mint, some more common and others more rare. A more rare example are mint plants that have the scent of different kinds of fruits such as pineapple and strawberries. There is even a mint that has a clear flavor of chocolate. Not sure what I would do with this kind of mints but it’s funny as pineapple, strawberries and chocolate are all great companions to mint. For example in this strawberry salad, you can switch basil for regular mint.

Earlier this year in Marrakesh, I got inspired by the simple way they use mint in different kinds of salads. The salads were often just tomato, peppers and red onion cut into tiny pieces and blended together with finely chopped mint leaves, a squeeze of lemon and olive oil. Simple and delicious.

Anna Brones‘s mother makes a fresh mint pesto and it sounds perfect drizzled over a potato salad or even a grilled lamb chop. When the summer is here you may prefer something cool to eat instead of hot meals from the stove. A fresh red pepper and tomato salsa is an excellent choice. And a watermelon and feta salad makes a perfect starter or as a side for grilled meat and vegetables.

One of my latest treats is this simple and warm Zucchini & Feta Salad that is great to serve together with vegetable patties.

Warm Zucchini & Feta Salad

(for 2-4 people)

one – two zucchini
olive oil
some salt
some chili (fresh or flakes)
one or two clove of garlic
lime
¼ lb (100 g) feta
about 10 leaves of fresh mint

Wash the zucchini and cut thin slices along the long side (you may want to cut the zucchini in half crosswise first). Sprinkle some salt and olive oil over. Heat up a pan with some chili and fry the zucchini slices at a semi high heat (you may also put them on the grill or roast them if you like). Just take a few at a time as they shouldn’t touch each other while cooking. When the slices start to brown, turn them over. Just before they are done squeeze some garlic over. When the garlic has melted and the zucchini has a nice color, transfer them over to a serving dish. Repeat until all zucchini slices are done. Squeeze some lime and drip it all over the salad. Cut or crumble the feta and sprinkle it over the salad together with finely chopped mint. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.

 This recipe was originally published at EcoSalon on 22 March 2012

Vegetable Stock

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Often while I’m cooking I also have a stockpot going. I feed it with bits and pieces of whatever I have at hand. It can be the end of a carrot, a head of a fish or bones from a piece of meat etc. My vegetable stock as described in the diagram, can be made just as shown or together with any kind of meat.  The point is to use the parts of vegetables or meat that you normally don’t eat. However the ingredients must be fresh! With fish I would add some dill stalks and maybe lemon rinds.

I use my stocks to feed risotto, soups, cook beans in or to touch up stews. The use is really endless.

Curry

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kokblog_on_the_train

One friend of mine was on a train and overheard a conversation between to guys. The conversation was about how to make the best curry. One of the guys was bragging about his curry and he even stated that it was the best. My friend thought the conversation was inspiring and decided to listen carefully and memorized the whole recipe. Excited about his new discovery my friend went home to give the curry a try. He managed to get all the ingredients and everything seemed to be great. But the bragging guy on the train had talked a little too much. The curry dish didn’t stand out at all. In fact the curry was a big disappointment for my friend.

M:s curry is probably not the best curry either, but it is tasty, quick and simple to make.

serves 3-4 people

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3 cloves of garlic
½ yellow onion
more or less chili
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4-5 whole cardamoms
235 ml (1 cup) chickpeas
handfull raisins
handfull cashew nuts
½ cauliflower
one zucchini
two carrots

Heat up some olive oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds are popping in the pan, add chopped garlic, onion and the chili together with the coriander, cumin and turmeric. When the onions starts to get soft, about 3 minutes, add the vegetables. Mix and sauté for another 2 minutes before adding some water, cardamom, raisins and chickpeas. Cover and cook until vegetables are done. Add the cashew nuts at the end of the cooking. Serve with couscous or rice, simple dill cucumber salad and some nice yogurt on the side.

Note If you are using dried chickpeas I suggest the following: soak the chickpeas over night. Boil them in salted water together with one bay leaf and one clove of garlic for 30 minutes. Prepare some extra and you can make humus as well.

Beetroot Salad

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pots

Once I met a woman who didn’t like to wash up after cooking, so she threw all the pots away. What a waste! She got new pots when she was robbing personal basement storage lockers. Well this salad is for her. I hope she has met somebody who likes to do the washing up.

fresh beetroots
arugola
goat cheese
sour cream
walnuts

Scrub and wash the beetroots, but keep the skin. Boil them in salted water until they are soft (can take up to an hour). In the mean while you can wash the arugola carefully and let them dry. Mix the goat cheese with the sour cream. Proportion to your own taste. I think a strong taste of the goat cheese works really well with the sweet beetroots.

Place the dried arugola leaves on a wide plate. Peel the beetroots and slice them in thin slices. Place them nicely over the arugola and dived the goat cheese mix. At last drop some whole or chopped walnuts over the salad. Serve with bread and dry white wine.

Marinated Pork Chops and Vegetables for Barbecue

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I think one of the best meats to barbecue is pork chops. I recommend that you choose the parts that have some fat around the meat. The fat makes it more juicy and some of it will actually disappear when its cooked. Less fat will only make the pork dry and dull.
barbeque
This marinade also works for vegetables that you should marinate separately. Vegetables I recommend are…

field mushrooms
zucchini
red and green peppers

marinade
3-4 parts olive oil
1 part balsamic vinegar
honey
red pepper
chili pepper
black pepper
salt
fresh or dry thyme, oregano etc
1-2 bay leaves
2-3 cloves of garlic

Mix the oil and the vinegar together with the honey. Add the spices to your own taste. There should be a nice balance between the sweet honey and the peppers.

Fill a plastic bag with the pork chops and poor the marinade over them. Press the bag around so the marinade spreads around all the pieces. Let them rest in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours.

When you barbecue the pork chops they should not be over an open flame. Wait until you have a nice glow. If the pork chops are not too thick they will be done quite quickly anyway.

I really enjoy this barbequed meat and vegetables with a arugola/potatoe salad and some spicy red wine.