Zucchini, thyme and pecan salad

What’s GREAT at the Market this Week?

This week we are shining the SPOTLIGHT on zucchini.

Did you know that although the ZUCCHINI is used and enjoyed as a vegetable, botanically, zucchinis are fruits, a type of botanical berry called a “pepo”!! So let’s try some new “pepo” recipes this week and enjoy this low-calorie vegie. Zucchini lovers already enjoy this particular vegie but those who don’t can be converted if the recipe is right. I really enjoyed a Zucchini, thyme and pecan salad based very closely on the **Courgette, thyme and walnut salad by one of my favourite chefs Yotam Ottolenghi.

We have been enjoying beautiful warm autumn days over the past week – days that mean a salad in the middle of the day is still appealing – but as it cools down towards the evening we are looking for warming meals so I decided to warm this salad before serving with chemoula roasted cauliflower and warm lamb. The thyme and lemon oil (from the lemon rind) is superb and make this such a delicious dish I am sure everyone would enjoy it!

Zucchini, thyme and pecan salad
3 tbsp olive oil
10g thyme sprigs
1 lemon – peel finely shaved into 6 strips (avoid the bitter white pith), then juiced, to get 2 tbsp
1 garlic clove, smashed with the flat side of a knife
600g zucchini trimmed and shaved into long, thin ribbons with a potato peeler or mandoline
60g pecans roughly chopped- Tweed River Pecans are perfect for this.
Salt and black pepper
15g basil, roughly shredded
Put the oil, thyme, lemon peel and garlic in a small saucepan on a low heat and leave to infuse for eight minutes, until the oil becomes aromatic and the garlic, lemon and thyme start to colour. Take off the heat, leave to cool, then strain the oil into a large bowl. Pick the leaves off the sprigs and add to the oil; discard the sprigs, lemon and garlic.

Lightly toast or warm in pan the pecans and lightly break these up.

Put the zucchini, pecans, lemon juice, a third of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper into the oil, then massage the zucchinis for a minute or so (if being used as a salad) – they will break up a little – then stir in the basil and serve at once. Or for a lightly warmed accompaniment to your meal pour the oil mix over the zucchini ribbons and return to the pan to heat on a low heat for only a minute of two – until just warmed.

https://www.theguardian.com/…/yotam-ottolenghi-courgette-re…