Steamed Salmon with Zucchini braised in Coconut Milk

Steamed Salmon with Zucchini braised in Coconut Milk 

Weirdly enough from Buzzfeed

Serves 2 

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 pound zucchini, cut in coins 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 6-ounce skinless filets of salmon
chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan (one with a lid, which you’ll need later) over medium heat. Add sliced onion, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has started to soften, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and aromatic, about 2 minutes more. Add zucchini, mix everything together. Cook, covered, until zucchini is soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and fish sauce to the pan, mix everything together, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the zucchini is extremely soft, about 5 minutes. Stir the mixture to break down the soft zucchini a little bit.

2. Meanwhile, season the salmon liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the filets on top of the zucchini mixture in the pan, making sure they’re not touching each other or the side of the pan. Cover the pan and cook until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes.

3. To serve, divide the zucchini mixture between two plates and top each with a salmon filet. If you want, garnish the plates with chopped cilantro.

Curried Fish with Zucchini

I think I'm reaching the point where I might just need to have a "Bittman" category to my blog. Here I was, thinking the man had given up the food blogging lifestyle, and he goes and releases not just one but a number of different recipe-themed posts. And he just happened to write an entire entry on fish just when I was looking for a way to use up all the frozen fish in my freezer.
Thanks, Bitty. Thanks.
But still, I can't fault him for his ridiculously easy preparations. This fish dish took me all of 5 minutes. Well, ok 8 1/2, but who's counting?
Even though he mentions nothing about what to serve it with, I do recommend putting this one on top of rice. The coconut milk and water combine to make a rather soupy consistency and to mop up all that flavor, you need some starch.
The recipe (if it can even be called that) is fairly basic and doesn't really feature any of the heat that is de rigueur in my household. So, if you dare, ante up the heat and throw some cayenne or red pepper flakes in with the curry. The coconut milk will really reduce the straight-up heat but it will make for a nice inherent smokiness to the dish which made it all the better. 

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil 
1 onion, chopped
2 zucchini, cut into large pieces or rounds
1 1/2 lbs white fillet of fish (whichever you please)
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp cayenne (optional)
1 tbsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup water
cilantro  (for garnish)

Method

Sauté 1 chopped onion and 2 chunked zucchini in oil for 5 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon ginger and 1 tablespoon curry powder (or to taste, if you are using the cayenne or red pepper flakes, add them here). Cook for a minute, then add fish.

Add coconut milk and water.

Cook for 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Serve on top of rice. Garnish with cilantro.

Greek Zucchini Fritters

Martha Shulman (goddess of the NY Times "Recipes for Health" section) summed up this recipe by calling them "zucchini latkes". And, indeed, that's exactly what they are. A bit messy, and "fall apart-y", and of course fried in oil, they are delicious and only slightly guilt inducing. More than simple zucchini, the taste of the dill and feta conjures fabulous images of the Mediterranean and summertime. Despite frying, mine remained soft and tender inside. I was in zucchini heaven.

The only problem with the recipe is the necessary hour wait time while the zucchini batter...does whatever it needs to do in the fridge for an hour. I'm not sure what would happen if I fried them immediately, but I can only surmise the hour in the fridge did them good.

You'll have to eat these the day you make them, sadly. They don't withstand another visit to the fridge as leftovers, turning into sloppy zucchini messes. But hey, joy is fleeting anyway, right?

Ingredients
2 pounds large zucchini, trimmed and grated on the wide holes of a grater or food processor
Salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as fennel, dill, mint, parsley (I like to use mostly dill)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1+ cup fresh or dry breadcrumbs, more as necessary
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup crumbled feta
All-purpose flour as needed and for dredging
Olive oil for frying

Method 

Salt the zucchini generously and leave to drain in a colander for one hour, tossing and squeezing the zucchini from time to time. Take up handfuls of zucchini, and squeeze out all of the moisture. Alternately, wrap in a clean dish towel, and squeeze out the water by twisting at both ends.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the shredded zucchini, herbs, cumin, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and feta. Mix together well. Take up a small handful of the mixture; if it presses neatly into a patty, it is the right consistency. If it seems wet, add more breadcrumbs or a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. When the mixture has the right consistency, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or longer.

Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan until rippling, or at about 275 degrees. Meanwhile, take up heaped tablespoons of the zucchini mixture, and form balls or patties. Lightly dredge in flour.

When the oil is very hot, add the patties in batches to the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once with a spider or slotted spoon. Remove from the oil, and drain briefly on a rack.

Serve with plain Greek style yogurt if desired.

Serves six to eight.

Zucchini Soufflé

Deep breath, everyone. It's soufflé time. I have avoided making one of these ever since I learned that they were the bane of every chef. "Will the soufflé rise?" seems to be the fearful question of every person who has attempted this finicky egg-based dish.  But when Bittman swore he had found an (almost) foolproof recipe, I knew it was time to face the music and give it a go.

And, who could have guessed? An "easy" soufflé recipe that was actually easy! The soufflés rose as they should in the oven, were light and fluffy on the table, and amazingly delicious! Well, the delicious part isn't so hard to imagine. I mean, the recipe is basically eggs, butter, and cheese. What's not to like? This is even a good recipe for those people who are not big fans of zucchinis (Bittman also suggests using spinach in this recipe). Now, the other ingredients probably counteract any vitamin goodness the green vegetables would give you, but hey, at least it takes away some of the soufflé guilt, right?
Right.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 to 3 medium zucchini, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs, separated
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Method

Butter four 1 1/2 -cup ramekins or one 6-cup soufflé dish. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when it’s hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until very tender, another 10 to 12 minutes. If you prefer, substitute a 10-ounce bag of spinach, chopped and cooked the same way. Drain the vegetables if there is excess liquid, and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and cheese with some salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and parsley and stir. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they are light and fluffy and just hold soft peaks; stir about a third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites, trying not to deflate them much.

Pour the soufflé mixture into the ramekins or dish. Bake until golden and puffy, 30 to 35 minutes, and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Courgettes (Zucchini) with cheese and green chilies

I will not even deign to comment on the whole zucchini/courgette name debate but suffice it to say I was looking for a veggie side dish that was at least pseudo-Mexican and this one fit the bill. Delicious, but feel free to decrease the amount of cream cheese you put in.
Consider it dependent on your adherence to the credo that veggie side dishes should retain at least some nutritional value.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tomatoes
1/3 cup drained pickled jalapeno chili slices, chopped
1 1/4 lb (500g) courgettes (zucchini)
1/2 cup (115g) cream cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Cut a cross in the base of each tomato. Place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave in the water for 3 minutes, then lift out on a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Drain. The skins will have begun to peel back from the crosses. Remove the skins and cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the flesh into strips.

Top and tail the courgettes, then cut them lengthways into 1/2 inch wide strips. Slice the strips into matchsticks.

Stir the courgettes into the onion mixture and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add the tomatoes and chopped jalapenos and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Add the cream cheese. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. As the cheese melts, stir gently to coat the courgettes. Season with salt, pile into a heated dish and serve.

Serves 6 as a side dish