Zosia's Profile

From: Toronto, ON

Joined: October 19th, 2011

Silk Chocolate Cream Pie with Pecan Crust from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle

This is a showstopper of a pie with rather sophisticated flavours - intense chocolate filling with salty, crunchy crust. Can't say I cared much for the crust on its own but it was a great foil, both texturally... read more >

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38 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 38Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011

Very simple and quite tasty……cooked asparagus topped with olive oil, capers (not even a dressing is required!) and crumbled, cooked egg.

It was a nice variation of a traditional dish and I learned a few new techniques in the process of making it: 9 minutes in simmering, not boiling, water produces a perfectly cooked, hard-boiled egg; using a coarse cheese grater for breaking down said egg is faster and much less messy than pushing it through a sieve!

I did find it a little bland....easily fixed with some additional capers. The recipe serves 4 as a starter, but we had it as a light lunch for 2.

useful (2)  

Nice variation of a dish I often make of baked eggs on a bed of garlicky spinach. The tangy yogurt and chile added new dimensions to it.

As with most Ottolenghi recipes, I reduced the fat considerably using only 1 tsp olive oil for cooking the arugula and 1 tsp of chile infused melted butter per serving (ie 1 tbsp total instead of 6!). I used a chipotle chile powder/paprika mix in place of kirmizi biber.

Definitely something I’ll make again.....possibly with Swiss chard or even kale.

useful (0)  

This was a delicious savoury Vietnamese pancake made with rice flour and coconut milk, stuffed with an assortment of fresh vegetables and herbs, and served with a flavourful dipping sauce.

There was a little bit of time involved in mincing some ingredients for the sauce and prepping the herbs and vegetables for the filling but not too much and the crepe batter took only minutes to make, and the pancakes only a few minutes to cook.

I had a few issues with this recipe: the first was with the sauce. It had the typical Vietnamese flavour profile of hot, sour, salty and sweet but in my limited experience in making these dipping sauces from scratch, they include water to lessen the intensity. This recipe didn’t and it needed some – I added 2 tbsp.

The second issue was with cooking the pancakes. They were extremely fragile and couldn’t be flipped with a spatula without breaking. I resorted to sliding the crepe onto a plate once the bottom was cooked, placing the pan upside down over it, and then inverting the pan & plate. I later read that these pancakes never get flipped but are steamed instead, while the bottom gets brown and crispy. The delicate texture of my pancakes may have been due, in part, to using whole grain rice flour.

Overall, though this was a relatively quick, very fresh tasting and light meal. Definitely one to repeat.

useful (1)  

Sweet fennel is made even sweeter with a fennel seed caramel and is garnished with dill, garlic and lemon zest and finished with tangy goat cheese.

The fennel slices are first seared on a high heat and set aside. A caramel with sugar and fennel seed is then made in the same pan and the fennel returned to the pan to caramelize. My pan wasn't large enough to accommodate all of the fennel so I seared and caramelized it in 2 batches.

The texture of the fennel was wonderful - a state somewhere between raw and cooked - it was firm and almost juicy. And the bites that included the fennel seed caramel were delicious....I just wish there had been more of them. The dish was missing something for me....perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice would have helped to liven it up.

I would like to make it again as it was very quick and easy, perhaps making more caramel next time (there really wasn't enough to glaze all of the fennel) and adding lemon juice.

useful (2)  

This is a hearty, though homely dish that offers the classic combination of celery flavour and lentils with the added crunch of toasted hazelnuts, that's freshened with chopped mint and brightened with a vinegar/hazelnut oil dressing.

The lentils (I couldn't find Puy so used green) are simmered with bay leaves and thyme and the celeriac is cooked separately in salted water until tender. Prepared this way, the vegetable has a mild, sweet celery flavour and a tender, juicy texture without any of celery's stringiness. Once done, both components are drained and combined with the other ingredients.

I added a portion of the dressing to taste before serving it hot. Leftovers were delicious eaten cold the next day with additional dressing....the flavour of the hazelnut oil really came through on day 2.

Despite having to cook the components separately, they can be done simultaneously so the dish really comes together in just over 30 min.

useful (3)  

This is a thin, almost crepe-like, herb omelette filled with potatoes and chard cooked in saffron-infused water. This is also the first recipe from this book that has been a disappointment. The filling is bland and the flavour of saffron is lost among the other ingredients.

I do think it has potential - the omelette part was delicious as is, and perhaps more garlic or a pinch of red pepper flakes would help the filling.

I was originally going to give it 2 stars, but the recipe helped use up some assorted bits of fresh herbs I had in the fridge (2/3 cup is required!) and it got my greens-hating husband to eat Swiss chard....for that alone it deserves an extra star!

useful (1)  

Chickpeas, carrots and Swiss chard come together in a very quick saute for a colourful, light, yet satisfying dish.

The diced carrots are sauteed with caraway seeds while the chard is blanched, drained and chopped. The chard is then added with the chickpeas (you can use canned) and the dish is sauteed some more. Garlic, lemon juice, fresh herbs and a dollop of Greek yogurt finish the dish.

If I had followed the instructions as written, the chard would have been severely overcooked. The blanching of the chard cooked it enough for my taste so I just added it at the end and heated it through. Next time, to save on cleanup, I'll omit the blanching step altogether and saute the raw, chopped chard with the chickpeas.

This dish had a very nice balance of flavours and textures, used basic ingredients, and looked and smelled appetizing. It was delicious.

useful (3)  

This is a delicious dish of pasta in a velvety mushroom sauce with broccolini (or broccoli) and a topping of lemony gremolata and crunchy panko crumbs.

It comes together in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. While the pasta (I used whole wheat farfalle) cooks, the mushrooms are first sautéed, then simmered in wine. Cream is added and the sauce is done! To save on clean-up, I added the broccoli directly to the pasta pot for a few minutes instead of blanching it in a separate pot. Once drained, both pasta and vegetable are added to the sauce.

Though the sauce is cream-based, there’s only enough to coat the ingredients lightly so the dish remains light and fresh tasting.

Though the recipe says it serves 2, I thought it made 3 generous servings.

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This is a great recipe for a crispy, cheesy, garlicky topping that would be good on a variety of roasted vegetables. I couldn't find pumpkin so used a butternut squash and the savoury crumbs and herbs, brightened with the flavour of lemon, were an excellent complement to the sweet vegetable.

I did have difficulty getting the crumbs to adhere but that may be because I used far less than the 1/4 cup of olive oil the recipe calls for. Next time, I may add the oil directly to the crumb mixture rather than coating the vegetable pieces with it. I did make the sour cream sauce and though it was good, I didn't think it was necessary.

I think this crust recipe would work well with whatever herbs, fresh or dried, and vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips.....) you have on hand.

useful (4)  

Very refreshing cucumber salad with a light Asian vinaigrette dressing flavoured with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.

It’s quick to prepare but should be started 1 hour before serving to allow the red onions to marinate in the dressing. I don’t normally peel my cucumbers and I saw no need to do so this time as the English cucumbers I used had thin, unblemished skin. I followed the author’s direction to pound the ginger, garlic and some salt in a mortar until crushed but not yet a paste. I think I should have taken it a bit further as some of the larger pieces of ginger were a little overwhelming.

Still, it was a great flavour combination and, I thought, a really delicious take on a cucumber salad.

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Eggplant never looked so pretty! This is a great combination of tender, roasted eggplant and Buffalo mozzarella, topped with a tangy salsa.

The eggplants are sliced, brushed with oil and roasted in the oven until tender. While they're roasting, the simple salsa of chopped sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes marinates in the dressing to allow the flavours to blend.

The dish is then assembled: eggplants topped with crumbled cheese and salsa and garnished with cilantro. The author invites you to replace the cilantro with basil if the former is too much of a sacrilege for this Italian dish. I used the cilantro and have no regrets : ).

I love Ottolenghi's use of capers. This is the second recipe I've made where they've been used in a vinaigrette... the first was light and lemony, but this one, made with red wine vinegar and caper brine, is far more robust. Each bite packs a salty, briny punch that perfectly complements the sweet vegetables and creamy cheese.

Serves 6 as an appetizer or salad.

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There’s a reason that the photograph of this dish appears on the book cover – it’s pretty amazing in appearance, flavour and ease of preparation.

The dish consists of roasted eggplant halves topped with a buttermilk-yogurt sauce flavoured with garlic, and garnished with pomegranate arils. Make sure you season the eggplants well before roasting - mine were quite sweet - but feel free to use less oil…I used about 1 tbsp for the entire dish, omitting the drizzle at the end and it seemed to work.

The tangy sauce and the little bursts of sweetness from the pomegranate are the perfect complement to the meatiness of the eggplant. This vegetable is not a family favourite but this preparation went over well.

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Sweet roasted peppers, briny olives and tangy feta combine with nutty farro to make a satisfying salad.

Peppers are roasted, peeled and torn while the farro cooks. Though I roasted some peppers, I think you could get away with using a good jarred variety. These ingredients are then combined with feta, olives, and fresh herbs and dressed with a simple lemon juice/olive oil dressing flavoured with garlic, smoked paprika and allspice.

I’ve only ever used allspice in baking and really didn’t like it in this application. I added extra smoked paprika to mask the flavour and that worked well.

The recipe says to serve as a starter but it made a nice lunch for 2.

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These were delicious, but burgers they were not. They were crispy on the outside with a soft, creamy interior(would have been even creamier if I had mashed the fava beans more : ));they tasted of subtly spiced fava beans but both the flavour and texture were too delicate to hold up to typical burger toppings and a bun.

I decided to make this recipe when I saw fresh fava beans in the grocery store. I couldn’t remember the recipe requirements so just packed a produce bag full of them thinking I might be eating the beans every day for a week! I was wrong……..1.2kg in the pod yielded only 400g shelled beans…I used a few edamame to make up the 454g/1 lb required for the recipe.

I knew the fava beans would take a while to prep – I did have help – but by the time I had toasted and ground the spices, shelled, blanched, and skinned the favas, sautéed, squeezed and chopped the spinach and peeled, diced, cooked and mashed the potato, I found Ottolenghi’s statement that he saved us time by omitting the recipe for the sauce laughable. What would really save time is using frozen shelled and skinned favas, frozen chopped spinach and leftover potatoes!

Vegetarian daughter, who helped with the prep, loved them. We just ate them with a squeeze of lemon but I can see these as a pita filling with lots lettuce, tomato and a tzatziki type sauce.

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Another hot day, another salad! This one taking advantage of the beautiful figs available now.

Known for his bright flavours, Ottolenghi doesn’t let us down with this dish: a zingy vinaigrette of shallots, Dijon mustard, pomegranate molasses and olive oil is used to dress arugula and basil. The salad is topped with fresh figs and bits of goat cheese. The tang of the dressing and cheese help to cut the sweetness of the figs. The only thing that would make this more perfect is the addition of fresh pomegranate arils.

Very easy and very delicious. I still have some fresh figs and enough dressing for another salad….I know what’s on the menu tomorrow!

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This is a wonderful grain pilaf flavoured with sweet caramelized onions and perfumed with cinnamon and allspice.

I couldn’t find freekeh so used bulgur as per the author’s suggestion. It seemed to work well but I do wish I had medium instead of fine….I think it would have improved the overall texture. The spices smelled very strong while the pilaf was cooking so I was pleased with how subtle their flavour was in the end. Mixed with some fresh herbs and topped with greek yogurt and toasted pine nuts, this was a really delicious side.

I served it, as suggested, with the Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad.

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Very nice savoury pancakes well suited to breakfast/brunch or as a side at a larger meal.

I used Swiss chard instead of spinach, and a blender to make the batter before folding in the whipped egg whites so my pancakes were more uniformly green than they should have been. They were very much like a regular American pancake…tender, light and fluffy.

I skipped the butter and just served them with lime.

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These are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and filled with sweet, sautéed leeks and shallots and a blend of fresh herbs and dried spices that lend a wonderfully complex flavour to the fritter. Loved the tangy herb sauce but, as the author suggests, they would be great with just a squeeze of lemon or lime.

This is probably one of the more involved recipes in the book, but well worth the effort. The ingredient list is long as there are recipes for both the sauce and the fritters. The yogurt based sauce comes together easily in a food processor but the fritter is more involved as you must deal with wet ingredients (milk, eggs, melted butter), dry ingredients (flour, baking powder) and pre-cooking the leeks with shallots before everything is finally combined and fried.

The recipe is supposed to yield 8 large fritters. I ended up making 12 and would make them even smaller next time as the pancake was soft and tricky to flip.

These are delicious served hot but vegetarian daughter ate them later at room temperature and loved them.

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Vibrant in both appearance and flavour, this recipe epitomizes for me what this book is all about....presenting vegetables in innovative, appealing and delicious ways.

The rice (I used Arborio) is simmered slowly with sauteed onions, peppers and fennel, saffron and smoked paprika in a vegetable stock. Marinated artichokes, fresh tomatoes and fava beans (I forgot to look for frozen so used edamame) are then added to the rice and steamed. The dish is finished with olives, parsley and lemon.

The rice was perfectly cooked except for the bottom crust....there wasn't one. I was a little disappointed since everything about the cooking technique (do not stir!) was pointing in that direction so I'll try a different pan next time.

Every bite offered a different blend of flavours....sweet, smoky, earthy, hot (not too hot), salty, tangy....definitely a party in your mouth. When even the committed carnivore in the family enjoys it, you know the recipe's a winner!

This serves 3-4 as a main course.

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A very rich and satisfying dish, perfect for a cold winter's day. The polenta is creamy and cheesy, flavoured with rosemary, topped with more cheese and sauteed mushrooms and finished under the broiler.

I usually make a new recipe as written the first time, but I must admit that I used far less fat than the recipe called for - there was more than enough contributed by the cheese; I also used less truffle oil as it's not to everyone's taste in my household. It tasted fantastic so I don't know that the dish suffered as a result of these changes....

Vegetarian daughter enjoyed it as her entree, and the rest of the family, as a side.

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This vegetable-based broth with light dumplings looked promising – and smelled fabulous while cooking – but was a little bit of a letdown in the end.

Despite, the rich amber colour of the broth, like the previous reviewer, I found the flavour lacking though I simmered it for the full 1½ hours. It was slightly sweet and had a nice tanginess, presumably from the prunes which were also responsible for the colour, but needed a flavor boost from some vegetable boullion cubes.

The potato-parsnip dumplings had a nice flavour but were a little too delicate in texture; they held together but just barely so perhaps extra flour is required. Eaten with the soup, the overall flavour was just a little too sweet for my taste.

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Very nice combination of flavours: herby pasta with a few pops of brine and vinegar tempered by sweet zucchini and creamy cheese.

I made a few changes to cut down on the oil in the recipe (to no ill effect), sautéing the zucchini slices briefly in a hot, non-stick pan brushed lightly with oil, and using water in place of half of the oil in the basil-parsley sauce.

The salad held up well provided you added the fresh basil just before serving and was delicious warm or at room temperature. The full recipe made a light meal for 4.

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Nutty, garlicky toasted bread topped with sweet, juicy grilled pears and tangy goat cheese…..the flavours and textures marry beautifully to create this homage to the pear.

The bread slices are first spread with a pine nut/garlic/oil puree. I must admit that I cheated here and used ground almonds I had on hand as the quantity of the mixture was too small for my food processor. This component is delicious - it was worth making the recipe just for the discovery of this spread alone.

While the bread toasts, the pear slices (I used Anjou) are grilled. The crostini are topped with the pears and goat cheese and returned to the oven to warm.

I served this as an appetizer, but they were so good I could have easily made a meal of them: )

useful (5)  

This is a delicious lentil and spinach salad with a yogurt dressing served on a flaky disc of puff pastry.

Though this wasn’t particularly labour intensive, there is cooking and then cooling time involved. The cooked lentils are combined with sautéed aromatics and spices, and then with fresh herbs and spinach once cooled. The salad is dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and Greek yogurt before serving.

I think there’s an error in the recipe but I’m not sure what the correction should be: the dough is supposed to be rolled to a 1¼” thickness which seemed awfully thick to me. I rolled it to ~1/2” and was pleased with the baked height of the round. I ended up using less pastry, ~8oz, as a result.

Also, the proportions of the recipe are off: there’s far too much lentil salad for only 4, 3" rounds to hold –larger rounds are needed if it's an entree for 4, or 8 of the smaller size if served as a starter.

The salad is tasty enough to stand on its own but it made a nice presentation on the pastry.

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On the surface, this seems to be a relatively basic quesadilla with black bean spread, sour cream, cheddar cheese and salsa......or so you would think.

The black bean spread is nicely flavoured with a few spices, cilantro and lime, but do watch the salt level, especially if using canned beans. I don't mind a chunky texture so I merely mashed the beans instead of pureeing them in the food processor. The spread is layered with the other ingredients on a tortilla, topped with pickled jalapenos and grilled.

The star of this dish is the salsa....avocados and tomatoes combine to make a cool, fresh, creamy and fabulous tasting mouthful! Extra touches like soaking the sliced red onion in vinegar add a nice flavour and take some of the bite out of the raw onion at the same time.

The heat level of the beans and salsa is mild; most of the heat comes from the pickled jalapenos (my homemade are very hot!). This worked very well in my family as it made it easy to control the heat level of each quesadilla.

There was a bit of chopping involved in preparing this recipe, but once that's done, it makes for a very quick, fresh tasting, delicious meal.

useful (5)  

Excellent tomatoes and homemade sourdough bread ensured that this salad was delicious. The quinoa was barely noticeable but added substantial protein to the dish so it was quite filling without being too heavy. Normally I seed tomatoes for a salad so it’s not too watery but I didn’t this time since the bread was there to absorb the additional liquid (and flavour!)

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The star of this recipe really is the lemony caper vinaigrette used to dress roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions and garlic. I think any combination of root vegetables that you may have on hand would do but don't omit the fresh tomatoes that are added towards the end of roasting, as they provide the dish with a wonderful freshness.

This is yet another recipe from this book where the author is very - and unnecessarily - heavy-handed with the oil. I reduced the olive oil to 3 tbsp (dressing included) from the 2/3 cup(!) listed in the recipe without there being any detrimental effects on the dish.

Apart from that one complaint, the recipe is easy, versatile and tastes great!

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Simple, quick and comforting, this thick, creamy soup is subtly flavoured with cabbage and caraway. A potato adds creaminess (no dairy involved), and the parmesan, a nutty flavour. The soup is simply garnished with quickly sauteed strands of cabbage and red chili pepper.

I used the parmesan rinds as directed, but don't think they added as much flavour as they could have because of the short cooking time (10-15 min); most of the cheese flavour came from the grated cheese added after the soup was pureed. Next time, I will forgo the rinds in favour of the grated cheese only and save them for a slower cooked soup where they will have more impact.

This was remarkably quick to make, used few ingredients and had great flavour; it held wide appeal as the cabbage flavour was not very strong.

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These are chickpea pancakes that are neither light and fluffy like a breakfast pancake, nor thin and pliable like a crepe. They are, instead, rather dense and, as it turns out, an excellent vehicle for a topping of sweet caramelized onions and intensely flavoured roasted cherry tomatoes.

The batter has few ingredients, just some chickpea flour, water, olive oil and whipped egg whites, is easy to blend and cooks quickly. I used the recommended size of pan, and even with the one I broke while trying to flip going to the dog, I still had 6 instead of 4, so the topping was spread a little more sparingly than the author intended.

My kids added parmesan cheese and called it a pizza. My husband and I had it with the suggested creme fraiche, which was a very nice cool and creamy complement to the socca.

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This is a delicious cooked carrot salad flavoured with the traditional Moroccan spice blend of cumin, ginger and cinnamon with a kick of heat provided by fresh green chilies.

The carrots are sliced and cooked briefly until tender-crisp while chopped onions are sautéed in olive oil. Everything is combined with fresh herbs, garlic, and spices. The heat and richness of the dish is balanced by the addition of preserved lemons and vinegar.

The author says to serve this warm or cold with a dollop of yogurt…I preferred it warm.

This is a strongly flavoured “salad” that needs be served with milder tasting items – I went with Ottolenghi’s suggestion of Freekeh Pilaf and fish.

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As usual, the author takes a basic recipe, adds his own twist and transforms something mundane into something extraordinary.

For this dish, portobellos are stuffed with a medley of sauteed vegetables (onion, celery, garlic), fresh herbs and parmesan cheese; it's the sun dried tomatoes in the stuffing, with their bright and intense flavour, that elevate this recipe.

It goes without saying that I reduced the amount of oil used in the recipe :)

This was delicious and filling and made an excellent entree served with a salad.

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This savoury tart consists of a fabulous combination of sweet, caramelized potatoes and onions that balance perfectly with intense roasted cherry tomatoes and zingy goat cheese, all nestled in a crisp, buttery, puff pastry shell.

A little time and effort is involved in preparing the components: the potatoes are boiled and sliced, the onion sauteed until golden and the tomatoes roasted (though store-bought sun dried can be used).

A caramel of butter and sugar is spread on the bottom of the prepared pan - you must work quickly as it hardens almost immediately on contact but an even layer isn't essential as it seems to melt and spread during baking. The tart is baked upside-down so the potatoes, onions and tomatoes go in next, followed by a layer of sliced goat cheese, topped with thinly rolled puff pastry. At this point, the tart can be baked or chilled up to 24 hours.

The suggestion is to serve it hot or warm but it's excellent at room temperature as well. This made for a delicious make-ahead and surprisingly light meal served with a salad.

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A fantastic reinvention of a sweet potato! Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, with a tangy sauce that cuts the sweetness of the potato, it had even the sweet potato haters in the house rethinking their opinion of the vegetable!

I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the Greek yogurt for the sauce, but draining some 1% fat plain yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve did the trick. The potato mixture is very sticky so I used an ice cream scoop to portion the dough and an oiled spatula to flatten it; my pancakes were ~3" and the recipe made 17 of them.

The flavour of the cake and the accompanying sauce deserves a 5-star rating. I've given only 4 as I found the cooking instructions questionable: cooking 6 min per side in butter over medium heat seems excessive and would result in burnt butter (and pancakes). Mine cooked in about 3 min per side; I used clarified butter to avoid the burnt butter problem but I think a combination of reg. butter and oil would work also.

Can't wait to try more recipes from this book!

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An Ottolenghi take on a baked potato with sour cream – and I mean that in a very good way!

The tuber used is the sweet variety, cut into wedges and roasted with a sprinkling of dried coriander. It’s served with crème fraiche (I used Greek yogurt) flavoured with lemon grass, lime, ginger….ingredients I would never have thought to combine with dairy. With the hot red pepper and fresh coriander garnish, the dish has a decidedly Thai feel and is absolutely delicious!

I would make this dip again with the chile pepper and fresh coriander added to it and serve with crudites etc

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Or in this case, warm rice noodles and edamame. This is a very refreshing, bright-tasting noodle salad that is very satisfying despite its lightness.

The noodles are tossed with a simple dressing of lime juice and oil flavoured with fresh ginger, tamari, tamarind paste and sugar. Sauteed garlic, cooked edamame, fresh chili pepper and herbs are added to the mix and the dish is done!

This would make a wonderful, fuss-free, hot weather dish. I found it to be a welcome reprieve from all of the rich foods of the holiday season!

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Wonderfully refreshing salad for a hot summer’s day.

I didn’t measure the ingredients so my proportions may be off, just added the feta and basil to the watermelon pieces to taste.

Family thought it was a strange combination and initially balked at trying it but enjoyed it in the end.

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This is a delicious mushroom barley ragout flavoured with garlic and thyme served on a whole wheat-yogurt flatbread. Despite the hearty sounding ingredients, this dish is surprisingly light and bright tasting because of the addition of preserved lemon and lemon juice.

The barley simmers while dry mushrooms soak and fresh mushrooms are given a quick sauté. The mushrooms are combined and simmered and the dish is finished with the addition of the cooked barley and lemon ingredients. The author indicates that this can be made in advance and reheated at serving time, which I did, but be prepared to lose what little sauce there is to the barley! I don’t think it’s meant to be a saucy dish but I did add a little vegetable stock when I reheated it.

Ottolenghi describes the flatbreads as “amazing” and I concur. Crispy, chewy and tangy, I could have eaten them on their own. They don’t take much time or effort, and though they’re fried, they don’t absorb much of the fat…I used just slightly over 1 tbsp to cook all of them. There is an error in the instructions for rolling them out – I think they should be ~1/8” thick, not 1” as the recipe states.

This made a wonderful lunch for 3 but I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it as a starter at a dinner party

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I never thought I would want to make a meal of grilled zucchini until I tasted this salad. I loved the combination of hazelnuts with this vegetable, lightly dressed with balsamic vinegar.

I had some toasted hazelnuts in the freezer leftover from Christmas baking, so this salad took very little time to put together. The zucchini slices are lightly grilled, just long enough to leave grill marks and bring out their sweetness. They’re tossed with a little vinegar, and once cooled, with hazelnuts and basil leaves. I thinly sliced some of the larger leaves; next time I’ll just tear them as the thin slices wilted rather quickly. The salad is finished with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of hazelnut oil. Though the recipe calls for 4 tbsp olive oil, I only used enough – a tbsp or less – to coat the zucchini before grilling.

This serves 4 as a starter or a salad but would make a lovely, light meal for 2.

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