Kenyan vegetable curry / curry di verdure keniano

July 26, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

beginning (right) and end (left) of first rendition

The fourteenth country of our World Culinary ABC¹ is Kenya (Kenia). To celebrate this stop, I chose to make my version of Kenyan vegetable curry. There are multiple recipes online for this dish². The one that inspired me includes baking the vegetables³.

Fresh vegetables from the farmers' market and my CSA box and some kale from my vegetable garden went into this dish, together with a number of spices from my collection. To accommodate household's preferences, I made a dish that is mildly hot and moderately spicy.

This recipe is ideal for a party. I made it twice, with different vegetable mixes (see details below) and since I had no party on either day, I froze some of it for future consumption.

pretty purple Dragon's Tongue beans

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Kenyan vegetable curry

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, approx. 1 1/2 pounds / 680 g: I suggest you choose 1 red and 1 white and look for freshly harvested onions (this is the season)
1 teaspoon / 5 ml cumin seeds
1 teaspoon / 5 ml black mustard seeds
1 pound / 450 g potatoes, well scrubbed
1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon/ 7.5 ml ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon/ 7.5 ml whole coriander, well crushed in a mortar and a pestle (mortaio e pestello)
1 small chili pepper (peperoncino rosso)
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml turmeric (curcuma)
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5 ml fine sea salt, plus to taste
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
4 cloves (chiodi di garofano)
1 large bay leaf, broken in half
1 or 2 eggplant (depending on size), approx. 1 1/4 pounds / 570 g (like the pretty Listada de Gandia⁴)
9 ounces / 250 g snap beans OR flat beans (like the pretty Dragon's Tongue)
9 ounces / 250 g zucchini
2 cups / 475 ml strained roasted tomatoes
A small bunch of dark leafy greens: kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach; I used 2.5 ounces / 70 g baby kale from my garden

Note #1: in the first rendition of this dish (portrayed in the top photo), instead of Dragon's Tongue beans and zucchini, I used a 1 pound / 450 g package of frozen mixed cut vegetables that contained snap beans, carrots, corn and peas. I thawed them for a couple of minutes in the microwave oven before adding them to the pan. Substitute with other seasonal vegetables you have available, like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots. By changing the ingredients, you'll get a slightly different dish every time.

Note #2: I still had one bag of strained roasted tomatoes from last year and just made my first batch for 2015. If you don't have time to roast the tomatoes, try using 1 can (14.5 ounces / 411 g) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes then rinse the can with 2 tablespoons / 30 ml water.

Chop the onions.

In a large, heavy skillet or deep sauté pan, warm up oil on medium heat. Add the onions and stir, then add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and stir to distribute well. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions until soft and slightly browned, about 20 minutes, stirring often.

In the meantime:

dice the potatoes
prepare the rest of the spices
trim top and bottom of eggplants, cut them into slices about 1/4 inch / 6 mm thick and dice the slices
trim top and bottom of zucchini, quarter them lengthwise and slice the quarters
top beans and cut them into 1 inch / 2.5 cm pieces

If you are using different vegetables, similarly cut them: for example, dice carrots, shred cabbage, cut cauliflower into florets, etc.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

Add the potatoes to the pan and stir, then add the remaining spices and continue cooking for several minutes, stirring almost continuously.

Pour strained tomatoes into the pan. Rinse the container with 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of water then pour that into the pan as well. Stir well.

Add the vegetables, one at a time, cooking for 1-2 minutes between each addition.

Since I am not sure my deep sauté pan is ovenproof, I transfer all its contents into a 4 quart / 4 liter rectangular Pyrex baking dish and seal it with foil.

Bake for 15 minutes, then stir vegetables and check that there is enough moisture at the bottom to prevent burning. Repeat after 15 minutes. Add a bit of water, if necessary. After 15 more minutes (45 minutes from the beginning of baking), check that the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. If not, bake for another 3-5 minutes. When the vegetables are ready, take the pan out of the oven, adjust salt as needed (depending in part on how salty the tomatoes are) and stir well.

Serve hot. (I like it also at room temperature.)

Serves 8.

second rendition served as a side to roasted trout

The recipes I consulted suggest to serve it over rice or with Indian bread. I never make white rice and have not yet tried making Indian flatbread. I serve it as side dish to chicken, frittata and roasted trout, and also by itself with Crescenza cheese on top that melts with the vegetables' heat. The latter version is completely non-traditional, but it is my favorite.

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post.
² A recipe for Kenyan Vegetable Curry.
³ The recipe for Kenyan Vegetable Curry that mostly inspired me: this post references a page that appears to be no longer available. The recipe can be seen on a number of other pages.
⁴ Post with photo of eggplant Listada de Gandia

I contribute my vegetable curry also to the 14th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. N like Nairobi (Kenya) is hosted by Valentina of diVerdediViola.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

curry di verdure keniano

or launch the curry di verdure keniano audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

curry, vegetables, eggplant, Kenyan cuisine

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curry di verdure keniano

inizio (destra) e risultato finale (sinistra) delle prima realizzazione

La quattordicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è il Kenia. Per celebrare questa tappa ho preparato la mia versione del curry di verdure. Su internet ho trovato diverse ricette che descrivono questo piatto². Quella che mi ha ispirato in modo particolare prevede la cottura finale al forno delle verdure³.

Verdure fresche dal farmers' market e dalla mia cassettina e cavolo riccio dal mio orticello (di cui poco rimane a causa della lunga siccità) hanno contribuito a creare questo piatto gustoso, insieme a spezie varie dalla mia collezione. Tenendo presente i gusti della famiglia, ho preparato una versione solo leggermete piccante e moderatamente speziata.

La ricetta qui sotto è ideale per una festa o cena con più persone del solito. L'ho preparata due volte utilizzando verdure un po' diverse e dal momento che non ho organizzato un party nessuno dei due giorni, ne ho surgelata una parte per consumarla in futuro.

fagioli Dragon's Tongue

Ingredienti:

2 cucchiai / 30 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
2 grosse cipolle, circa 680 g: suggerisco di usarne una rossa e una bianca dal nuovo raccolto (questa è la stagione)
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml semi di cumino
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml semi di senape neri
450 g patate ben pulite
1/2 cucchiaio / 7,5 ml zenzero fresco grattugiato
2 spicchi d'aglio tritati
1/2 cucchiaio / 7,5 ml ml cumino in polvere
1/2 cucchiaio / 7,5 ml semi di coriandolo pestati con mortaio e pestello
1 peperoncino rosso piccolo
1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml curcuma
1/2 cucchiaino / 2,5 ml sale fino, più q.b.
1 stecca di cannella spezzata a metà
4 chiodi di garofano
1 grossa foglia di alloro spezzata a metà
1 o 2 melanzane (a seconda del peso), circa 570 g (per esempio la bella Listada de Gandia⁴)
250 g fagiolini o piattoni (per esempio dei Dragon's Tongue)
250 g zucchine
475 ml passata di pomodori arrosto
un mazzetto di verdure a foglia: bietola, spinaci, cavolo nero; io ho usato 70 g di cavolo riccio novello dal mio orticello

Nota #1: nella prima realizzazione di questo piatto (che si vede nella foto in alto), invece di zucchine e fagioli Dragon's Tongue ho usato una confezione da 450 g di verdure miste tagliate che conteneva carote, fagiolini, piselli e chicchi di mais. Le ho scongelate per un paio di minuti nel forno a microonde prima di aggiungerle alla padella. Utilizzate pure altre verdure di stagione come cavolo cappuccio, cavolfiore o carote. Variando gli ingredienti otterrete un piatto ogni volta un po' diverso.

Note #2: Avevo ancora una confezione della mia passata di pomodori arrosto dall'anno scorso e ho appena fatto la prima mandata del 2015. Se non avete tempo per cuocere al forno i pomodori, provate ad utilizzare una lattina (411 g circa) di pomodori arrostiti e schiacciati e 2 cucchiai / 30 ml d'acqua con cui sciacquare la lattina.

Tagliare le cipolle a dadini.

In una grossa padella profonda, scaldare l'olio su calore medio. Aggiungere le cipolle e mescolare, poi aggiungere i semi di cumino e di senape e mescolare bene. Abbassare il calore e cuocere fino a quando la cipolla sia morbida e un po' dorata, 20 minuti circa, mescolando spesso.

Nel frattempo:

tagliare a dadi le patate
preparare le rimanenti spezie
tagliare testa e coda delle melanzane, tagliarle a fettine spesse 6 mm e tagliare le fettine a dadi
tagliare testa e coda delle zucchine, tagliarle in quattro per lungo e tagliare i quarti a fettine
tagliare il picciolo dei fagiolini e tagliarli a pezzi lunghi 2,5 cm

Se utilizzate diversi tipi di verdure, tagliatele in modo simile: per esempio, tagliate le carote a dadi, affettate il cavolo cappuccio, dividete il calvolfiore a cimette, ecc.

Pre-riscaldare il forno a 177 C.

Aggiungere le patate alla padella e mescolare, poi aggiungere le rimanenti spezioe e continuare a cuocere per diversi minuti mescolando quasi continuamente.

Versare la passata di pomodoro nella padella. Sciacquare il contenitore con un cucchiaio / 15 ml d'acqua e versarla nella padella. Mescolare bene.

Aggiungere le altre verdure, una alla volta, cuocendole 1-2 minuti tra un'aggiunta e l'altra.

Dal momento che non sono sicura che la mia padella fonda sia a prova di forno, trasferisco il suo contenuto in una teglia di Pyrex rettangolare da 4 litri e la sigillo con della pellicola di alluminio.

Infornare e cuocere per 15 minuti, poi mescolare le verdure e controllare che siano abbastanza umide in modo da evitare che brucino. Ripetere dopo 15 minuti. Se necessario, aggiungere un po' d'acqua. Dopo altri 15 minuti, controllare la cottura delle verdure. Se non sono ancora ben cotte, continuare a cuocere per altri 3-5 minuti. Quando le verdure sono pronte, sfornare, correggere il sale (la quantità dipende in parte dalla sapidità dei pomodori che utilizzate) e mescolare bene.

Servire ben caldo. (A me piace anche a temperatura ambiente.)

Porzioni: 8

seconda realizzazione servita come contorno a della trota arrosto

Le ricette che ho consultato suggeriscono di servire questo curry su del riso o con del pane indiano. Io non faccio mai il riso bianco e non mi sono ancora cimentata a fare il pane indiano. Servo questo curry come contorno a pollo, frittata o trota al forno, o anche da solo con sopra pezzettini di Crescenza che si ammorbidiscono col calore delle verdure. Quest'ultima opzione, assolutamente non tradizionale, è la mia preferita.

¹ Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale
² Una ricetta per curry di verdure keniano (in inglese)
³ La ricetta per curry di verdure keniano che mi ha ispirato in modo particolare: questo post fa riferimento ad una pagina che pare non essere più disponibile. La stessa ricetta compare su diverse altre pagine.
⁴ Post con la foto della varietà di melanzana "Listada de Gandia"

Con questo curry di verdure partecipo alla quattordicesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. N like Nairobi (Kenia) è ospitata da Valentina di diVerdediViola.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

recipe: Kenyan vegetable curry

July 26, 2015 | Simona

Kenyan vegetable curry

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes total

Keywords: saute bake side entree gluten-free nut-free vegetarian potatoes onion zucchini eggplant African

Ingredients (Serves 8)

2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, approx. 1 1/2 pounds / 680 g: I suggest you choose 1 red and 1 white and look for freshly harvested onions
1 teaspoon / 5 ml cumin seeds
1 teaspoon / 5 ml black mustard seeds
1 pound / 450 g potatoes, well scrubbed
1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon/ 7.5 ml ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon/ 7.5 ml whole coriander, well crushed in a mortar and a pestle
1 small chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml turmeric
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5 ml fine sea salt, plus to taste
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
4 cloves
1 large bay leaf, broken in half
1 or 2 eggplant (depending on size), approx. 1 1/4 pounds / 570 g (like the pretty Listada de Gandia)
9 ounces / 250 g snap beans OR flat beans (like the pretty Dragon’s Tongue)
9 ounces / 250 g zucchini
2 cups / 475 ml strained roasted tomatoes
A small bunch of dark leafy greens: kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach; I used 2.5 ounces / 70 g baby kale from my garden

Instructions

Note #1: in the first rendition of this dish (portrayed in the top photo), instead of Dragon’s Tongue beans and zucchini, I used a 1 pound / 450 g package of frozen mixed cut vegetables that contained snap beans, carrots, corn and peas. I thawed them for a couple of minutes in the microwave oven before adding them to the pan. Substitute with other seasonal vegetables you have available, like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots. By changing the ingredients, you’ll get a slightly different dish every time.

Note #2: I still had one bag of strained roasted tomatoes from last year and just made my first batch for 2015. If you don’t have time to roast the tomatoes, try using 1 can (14.5 ounces / 411 g) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes then rinse the can with 2 tablespoons / 30 ml water.

Chop the onions.

In the meantime:

dice the potatoes
prepare the rest of the spices
trim top and bottom of eggplants, cut them into slices about 1/4 inch / 6 mm thick and dice the slices
trim top and bottom of zucchini, quarter them lengthwise and slice the quarters
top beans and cut them into 1 inch / 2.5 cm pieces

If you are using different vegetables, similarly cut them: for example, dice carrots, shred cabbage, cut cauliflower into florets, etc.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.

Add the potatoes to the pan and stir, then add the remaining spices and continue cooking for several minutes, stirring almost continuously.

Pour strained tomatoes into the pan. Rinse the container with 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of water then pour that into the pan as well. Stir well.

Add the vegetables, one at a time, cooking for 1-2 minutes between each addition.

Since I am not sure my deep sauté pan is ovenproof, I transfer all its contents into a 4 quart / 4 liter rectangular Pyrex baking dish and seal it with foil.

Serve hot. (I like it also at room temperature.)

Go to the full post on Kenyan vegetable curry / curry di verdure keniano

recipe: beans in cashew and tomato curry (curry di fagioli con pomodoro e anacardi)

March 13, 2014 | Simona

Beans in cashew and tomato curry

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 20 minutes + soaking beans

Cook Time: 20 minutes + cooking beans

Keywords: boil entree vegetarian sugar-free soy-free low-carb gluten-free beans tomatoes African Italian

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

For the beans

1 cup / 200 g / 7 oz. canario or cannellini beans or other beans of choice that are good for stews [see below how to cook beans with aromatics]
A small onion (or half of a medium one), quartered
A bay leaf
One large or two small cloves of garlic, sliced
A few sprigs of fresh parsley
A couple of leaves of sage, optional

To complete the dish

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
A generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup / 70 g raw unsalted broken or split cashew nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (I used a Rossa di Milano onion)
2 carrots, grated using the extra-coarse side of your grater
2 small turnips, grated using the extra-coarse side of your grater
1 one-inch / 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup strained roasted tomatoes
Fine sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup /50 g cashews in larger pieces (see Note below)
1/4 cup / 60 ml fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

Note: I purchased raw cashew pieces (rather than whole) and selected smaller pieces to grind for the sauce and larger pieces to toast for the topping.

How to cook dry beans

The way I cook beans for further use comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (Beans with Aromatics). After soaking a cup of dry beans for several hours or overnight in enough water to cover them by about an inch (I use four cups), empty the whole bowl into a saucepan and add

Bring the water to a lively boil quickly, and keep it there for five minutes, then turn down the heat and let the beans simmer, covered, until they are tender, but possibly a few minutes from being completely cooked: they will finish cooking in the sauce. How long this takes depends on the type of beans and their freshness. Let them cool in their broth, then remove the aromatics and discard them. Let the beans rest in their cooking broth until ready to use.

How to prepare the sauce

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Dry roast the ground spices (cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander and pepper) and pepper flakes for 1 minute. Let the spices cool down, then add them to the broken cashews and place in a food processor. Grind to a fine paste. Do not rinse the skillet.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir to coat. Turn the heat down to medium-low. After a couple of minutes, add the carrots, turnips and ginger and stir. After a couple of minutes, add the garlic and stir.

Cook the vegetables on gentle heat until tender, stirring often.

How to finish the dish

Drain the beans and measure 1/2 cup / 120 ml of the cooking liquid.

Turn up the heat to medium-low and add the cashew paste. Stir well, then add the beans and continue to stir for a minute.

Add the strained roasted tomatoes and reserved bean cooking liquid and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil. Turn down the heat to low. Cover the skillet and simmer until the beans are well cooked and the sauce has thickened a bit.

In the meantime, dry roast cashew pieces in the small skillet previously used for the spices.

When the beans are ready, adjust salt, then add toasted cashews and parsley.

Give a final stir and serve immediately over cooked whole grains of choice.

Go to the full post on curry di fagioli con pomodoro e anacardi / beans in cashew and tomato curry

zucchine al curry / curried zucchini

September 8, 2013 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

an embarrassment of (zucchini) riches

There was a time when I thought that zucchine were the epitome of the unpalatable vegetable. I disliked zucchini with visceral intensity, no matter how they were prepared. Even a thick layer of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano could not turn stewed zucchini into an acceptable dish. Why couldn't I just be allowed to eat pomodori (tomatoes) all summer long?

My dislike had nothing to do with the size of the offending vegetable: baby or big, still carrying the mother flower on one end or more mature in age, the response that zucchini elicited in me (and my brother, for that matter) was exactly the same. As far as I was concerned, the only good thing coming out of a zucchini plant were the blossoms (fiori di zucca), which my mother battered and fried once or twice a season, to everybody's delight.

But, panta rhei, everything flows — as the aphorism used to characterize the thought of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus tells us. Everything changes, our tastes (gusti) included, and that is a good thing, otherwise we would remain forever wedded to the flavors we favor as kids.

I don't remember how my young adulthood conversion to a fervent believer in zucchini happened: was it a sudden realization or a change of heart that unfolded slowly and subtly? Whatever happened, I am thankful that it did happen.

sliced zucchini ready for the pan

This summer, I have adapted for zucchini a recipe developed for sweet peppers a couple of summers ago. Leeks (porri), garlic and curry powder make zucchini festive, yet keep them light and suitable to accompany meat, eggs or whatever else you are bringing to the table as main course.

ready to be served

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for zucchine al curry

Ingredients:

1 2/3 lb. / 26 oz. / 740-750 g zucchini (I use mostly the classic, dark green, long variety, but I sometimes add one or two of the yellow variety)
10 oz. / 280 g leeks
olive oil
3 garlic garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 teaspoon curry powder diluted in 2 tablespoons / 30 ml warm water
fine sea salt, to taste

Cut zucchini into 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick slices. If a zucchina is rather chubby, cut it lengthwise first, then slice. If you have a food processor or mandolin blade that cuts such slices of this size, use either tool. Or use your sharp knife.

Trim off dark green leaves from leeks (set them aside to make broth or stock). Cut leeks into half lengthwise and rinse under running water. Slice leeks into half moons 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick. Rinse the slices in a colander and drain.

Warm up some olive oil in a large pan. Add leeks, stir to coat and let cook for 7-8 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring every now and then, making sure they don't stick. Thinly slice garlic cloves, add to the leeks and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add zucchini to the pan, stir to coat and let cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Pour the diluted curry into the pan. Stir well, cover and cook on medium-low heat until the zucchini are of the desired tenderness. Every few minutes, uncover and stir.

When the zucchini are ready, adjust the salt and give a final stir. Serve and eat right away.

Serves 3 who believe in eating vegetables or 2 zucchini fans.

leftover makeover

Whirl leftover curried zucchini in a food processor or blender and use the resulting cream to dress pasta (in the photo, you see sagne incannulate with calendula petals). No cheese is necessary, for the joy of the vegan at your table.

This is my contribution to edition #400 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Terry of Crumpets and Co..

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zucchine al curry

or launch the zucchine al curry audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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zucchini, leek, curry

zucchine al curry

vari tipi di zucchine

Da bambina pensavo che le zucchine fossero l'epitome della verdura immangiabile. Detestavo le zucchine con passione, in qualsiasi modo venissero preparate. Neanche uno spesso strato di Parmigiano-Reggiano poteva rendere appetibile un piatto di zucchine cotte in padella. Perché non potevano lasciarmi in pace a mangiare pomodori tutta l'estate?

La mia avversione era indipendente dalla dimensione delle zucchine: novelle o adulte, ancora col fiore attaccato o senza, la mia reazione (e anche quella di mio fratello a dire il vero) era la stes. L'unica cosa buona prodotta da una pianta di zucchine erano i fiori, che mia madre preparava impastellati e fritti una o due volte a stagione, per la gioia di tutti.

Ma panta rei, tutto scorre — come dice l'aforisma usato per descrivere il pensioro del filosofo greco Eraclito. Tutto cambia, compresi i nostri gusti, e ciò è bene, altrimenti rimarremmo sempre attaccati ai cibi che preferiamo da bambini.

Non mi ricordo come sia avvenuta la mia conversione a fervente sostenitore delle zucchine: fu epifania improvvisa o lento mutamento di idee? Qualsiasi cosa sia successa, mi fa piacere che sia successa.

zucchine affettate pronte per la padella

Quest'estate ho adattato alle zucchine una ricetta sviluppata per i peperoni un paio di estati fa. Porri, aglio e curry rendono allegro questo piatto, ma lo mantengono leggero e adatto ad accompagnare carne, uova o quella che portate in tavola come secondo.

pronte ad essere servite

Ingredienti:

740-750 g zucchine
280 g porri
olio d'oliva
3 spicchi d'aglio pelati
3/4 cucchiaino curry in polvere diluito in 2 cucchiai 30 ml di acqua calda
sale fino, q.b.

Tagliare le zucchine a fettine di 3 mm di spessore. Se una zucchina e cicciottella, tagliatela a meta per lungo poi affettatela. Se avete un robot o mandolina con la lama che taglia fettine di queste dimensioni, utilizzate uno dei due attrezzi, oppure il coltello.

Rimuovere la parte verde scuro delle foglie dei porri (mettere da parte per fare il brodo). Tagliare ciascun porro a metà per il lungo e sciacquare sotto acqua corrente. Tagliare a mezzelune di 3 mm di spessore. Sciacquare in uno scolapasta e scolare.

Scaldare dell'olio di oliva in una padella piuttosto grande. Aggiungere i porri, mescolare bene e far cuocere a fuoco medio-basso per 7-8 minuti mescolando di tanto in tanto. Affettare sottilmente l'aglio, aggiungerlo ai porri e mescolare. Cuocere per un paio di minuti.

Aggiungere le zucchine alla padella, mescolare bene e far cuocere a calore medio-basso per 5 minuti, mescolando di tanto in tanto.

Versare il curry diluito nella padella. Mescolare bene, coprire e far cuocere a fuoco medio-basso fino a quando le zucchine sono cotte secondo il vostro gusto, mescolando di tanto in tanto durante la cottura.

Quando le zucchine sono pronte, correggere il sale e dare un'ultima mescolata. Servire e mangiare subito.

Serve 3 persone che credono al consumo giornaliero di verdure oppure due fan delle zucchine.

leftover makeover

Ridurre a crema le zucchine al curry avanzate e usatela per condire della pasta (nella foto sagne incannulate con petali di calendula). Non c'è bisogno di condire col formaggio, per la gioia dei vostri ospiti vegani.

Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 400 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Terry di Crumpets and Co..

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

recipe: curried zucchini (zucchine al curry)

September 8, 2013 | Simona

Curried zucchini

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: side gluten-free low-carb vegetarian zucchini summer

Ingredients (serves 3)

1 2/3 lb. / 26 oz. / 740-750 g zucchini (I use mostly the classic, dark green, long variety, but I sometimes add one or two of the yellow variety)
10 oz. / 280 g leeks
olive oil
3 garlic garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 teaspoon curry powder diluted in 2 tablespoons / 30 ml warm water
fine sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Cut zucchini into 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick slices. If a zucchina is rather chubby, cut it lengthwise first, then slice. If you have a food processor or mandolin blade that cuts such slices of this size, use either tool. Or use your sharp knife.

Warm up some olive oil in a large pan. Add leeks, stir to coat and let cook for 7-8 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring every now and then, making sure they don’t stick. Thinly slice garlic cloves, add to the leeks and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add zucchini to the pan, stir to coat and let cook on medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Pour the diluted curry into the pan. Stir well, cover and cook on medium-low heat until the zucchini are of the desired tenderness. Every few minutes, uncover and stir.

When the zucchini are ready, adjust the salt and give a final stir. Serve and eat right away.

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recipe: curried sweet chili peppers (peperoni al curry)

November 4, 2011 | Simona

Curried sweet chili peppers

by Simona Carini

Ingredients:

olive oil
10 oz. sweet onion, like walla walla
a large garlic clove (or 2 small ones), minced
3 sweet chili peppers (about 13 oz.)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder diluted in 2 tablespoons of warm water
sea salt, to taste
thin slices of my homemade robiola

Warm up some olive oil in a large pan. Slice the onion lengthwise into thin sections no wider than 1/4 inch and separate the layers so you have short ribbons. Add to the pan together with the garlic, stir to coat and let cook on medium low heat while you prepare the peppers, stirring every now and then.

Cut the peppers lengthwise. Carve out and discard the stem portion, and the seeds and ribbing inside. Cut each half in half crosswise and finally slice each piece into short ribbons no wider than 1/4 inch. Add to the pan, stir and then add the diluted curry. Stir well, cover and cook on gentle heat until the peppers are of the desired tenderness. Every few minutes, uncover and stir.

When the peppers are ready, adjust the salt and stir, then remove the pan from the heat. Distribute the cheese over the peppers, cover the pan again and let the cheese soften for a few minutes, while you let your mouth water. Serve and eat right away.

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