Here’s a unique zucchini recipe for you – Spicy Asian Zucchini! Meaty zucchini halves seared then smothered with a mild chilli-garlic sauce. Quick. Easy. Big flavours. Serve as a side or a meat-free main with Garlic Rice.

Spicy Asian Zucchini recipe

This is a zucchini recipe for everyone who:

• finds themselves scrambling for a quick Asian vegetable sides for meaty/starchy Asian mains. Think: Char Siu BBQ pork, dumplings, veg-less stir fries like Mongolian Lamb, Honey Chicken, Peking Shredded Beef (there’s actually lots if you think about it!);

• is looking for something different to make with zucchini. Because you have an abundance of home grown or couldn’t resist a bargain at the shops (the latter is me); or

• just generally enjoy finding new, tasty ways to use vegetables that are quick and easy to make. As in – main meal worthy.

This Spicy Asian Zucchini ticks all those boxes. An invention that came about when I was staring at a pile of more zucchinis than any normal person should have (but nobody has called me “normal” in a while) at a time when my spicy edamame was on repeat. Very similar sauce. Different use!

What you need for Spicy Asian Zucchini

Here’s what you need for this Asian zucchini recipe. First up – the secret ingredient…..zucchinis! 😂

Zucchini

Called courgettes in the UK and some parts of Europe, the cucumber shaped vegetable is at its prime in summer. But here in Australia, it’s available year round for fairly good value.

Size – It’s best to use small / medium zucchini around 15 – 18cm long (6 – 7″) so it’s easy to cook through on the stove. You’ll be surprised, it only takes around 3 to 4 minutes. But if you have gigantic ones (sometimes they can be!) you might want to cut them into quarters.

Spicy CHILLI GARLIC Sauce

This sauce is good! Simple with big flavours. Actually not that spicy, it’s mild. I see myself using this in another recipe in the foreseeable future.

Note: I put garlic in the photo below, I should have included it in the sauce photo because we sauté it.

• Sambal Oelak – chilli paste which makes a nice sauce for smothering. Made with fresh chillis, found in large grocery stores and Asian stores. Pretty spicy eaten plain but combined with everything else in this sauce, the spiciness is dialled back quite a lot.

  Substitute with sriracha (sauce not quite as glossy) or a not-too-spicy chilli crisp (taste and check) – sauce will have chilli crunch chunks and be oilier (yum!).

• Sesame oil – Use toasted sesame oil which is brown and has better sesame flavour. Un-toasted is yellow and the sesame flavour isn’t as strong. Here in Australia, toasted sesame oil is standard. Un-toasted is harder to find.

• Soy sauce – Don’t use soy sauce labelled “dark soy sauce”, way too intense and salty, will ruin the dish. Any general “soy sauce”, “all-purpose soy sauce” (like the Kikkoman pictured above) or “light soy sauce” can be used.

• Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that is found in large grocery stores and Asian stores that is one of 3 core sauces in Japanese cooking (ie it’s good stuff!). It brings a depth of flavour and sweetness into the sauce in this recipe. Substitute with honey for a non alcoholic version – sauce still great (albeit sweeter) but not quite the same restaurant-y complexity of flavour.

Toppings (& garlic)

As mentioned above, the garlic should really be in the Sauce section.

• Crispy Fried Shallots – an Asian pantry essential! Salty, oily, crunchy, terrific garnish for all things Asian, from soups to salads. I use it liberally – it’s a frequent player in my recipes so I’ve got some basic information about it here, in case you are new to it.

  Find it in the Asian section of supermarket but cheaper at Asian stores.

  Substitute with anything crunchy you can find in your cupboard – croutons, packet crispy noodles), handful of crispy fried rice (I make loads and keep it in jars when I make this salad). I’d even use roughly chopped peanuts.

• Green onion – For freshness. Substitute with finely sliced red onion or eschallots (US: shallots aka French onions, those small purple-ish onions). I’d toss them through the sauce briefly to make them floppy.

How to make Spicy Asian Zucchini

Have you ever cooked zucchini halves on the stove before? It’s much faster than the oven – 6 minutes vs 30 minutes. Plus lovely browning on the zucchini that you’ll never get in the oven no matter how high you crank it! The zucchini just goes soft and watery.

1. Oil & salt – Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt then briefly toss.

2. Cook – Using a large non-stick pan heated to medium high, put the zucchini in cut side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it gets nice colour on it. Then turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Give the zucchini a poke – you want it to feel tender but not soft/mushy/totally floppy, and still a little firm in the middle. The residual heat will finish cooking it through.

   Doneness – I like to cook the zucchini until it is barely cooked – very crisp tender – so then the residual heat finishes cooking it through as you’re making the sauce and plating up. “Just cooked” is my preference because the more you cook zucchini, the more watery/mushy it gets which dilutes flavour.

   However, if you prefer your zucchini fully soft all the way through, that’s entirely up to you! In which case I’d recommend using the oven – it’s a little hard to cook zucchini halves until soft on the stove. Directions in the recipe notes.

3. Garlic – In the same pan, sauté the garlic until light golden.

4. Sauce – Then add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 30 seconds on low heat until syrupy. Don’t take it too far – I keep making that mistake when I’ve had multiple things on the go. If it reduces too much it gets too salty (though if this happens, just add a splash of water to the sauce to thin it).

5. Pour the sauce over the pile of zucchinis. I do it this way for simplicity – the sauce goes “everywhere” – and I think it looks nice. The other way of doing it is to put the zucchini in the pan and toss to coat evenly.

6. Garnish – Sprinkle with the crispy shallots (I am not shy about the amount I use) and the green onion. Then, serve!

How to serve Spicy Asian Zucchini

The obvious way to serve this is as a vegetable side. An excellent substantial (interesting!) one that can go alongside anything Asian, from stir fries to noodles to Char Sui Pork to gyoza or Chinese pan fried dumplings (potstickers).

Some suggested mains to serve with this Spicy Asian Zucchini

Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Chinese Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers)

Chinese Crispy Pork Belly

Honey Chicken – STAYS CRISPY for hours!

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Sticky Honey Soy Baked Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken

Momofuku Bossam – Korean Slow Cooked Pork Roast

Having said that, I’ve been enjoying this as meal with a side of some kind of flavoured rice, such as:

• Fried rice. My go-to: Chinese Fried Rice. Personal favourites: Nasi Goreng, Korean Kimchi Fried Rice.

• Garlic rice – quick, easy, you can make it right now!

• Baked fried rice – super handy when you don’t have day-old cooked rice on hand. (Also, it’s all baked in one pan. Yes, I said baked. It works. And I’m a rice snob).

Love to know what you think of today’s recipe! Certainly a little different from the usual zucchini recipes. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Spicy Asian Zucchini

Recipe video above. Here's a great new quick and easy way to use zucchinis! Meaty zucchini halves stove seared then doused in a mild spicy Asian chilli garlic sauce.

The stove works so well here – great colour, and cooks them through just enough so they're tender-crisp rather than watery-mushy. Though, if you want soft all the way through, it'll be easier to do them in the oven – see notes.

Serve as a substantial side or a hearty healthy lunch!

Course Side

Cuisine Asian

Keyword asian zucchini recipe, zucchini recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 5 as a side

Calories 143cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 5 zucchini, small / medium , cut in half lengthways (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp canola oil (or other plain oil)
• 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/4 cup crispy fried shallots , store bought (Asian pantry staple!) (Note 2)
• 1 green onion stem , finely sliced

Spicy sauce:

• 1 tbsp canola oil (or other plain oil)
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 tbsp sambal oelak (sub sriracha or chilli crisp) (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil , toasted
• 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose NOT dark soy (Note 4)
• 2 tbsp mirin – sub honey (Note 5)

Instructions

• Toss the zucchini in oil then sprinkle with salt and toss to (roughly) coat all over.
• Cook – Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place half the zucchini cut side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the surface is golden. Turn and cook the skin side for 3 minutes. Pile onto a serving plate and repeat with remaining zucchini.
• Sauce – cool the pan slightly then return to medium heat. Heat the oil then sauté the garlic until light golden. Add remaining Sauce ingredients, simmer for 30 seconds until syrupy.
• Serve – Pour over zucchini, pile on Crispy Asian Shallots and green onion. Eat!

Notes

1. Zucchini – Use small / medium (~15 – 18cm long (6 – 7″) so they cook on the stove or BBQ. If yours are giant, cut it into quarters.

Doneness – I only take the zucchini to barely cooked (ie still pretty firm), it will keep cooking as you plate up. When super soft, it’s quite watery which dilutes flavour. A reader suggested searing then finishing in oven if you want yours super soft, use temps below!

Oven – Won’t get the same seared colour but works fine, also easier to cook through until very soft (stove might overly brown). 200°C/375°F (180°C fan) for 25 minutes or until done to your taste. 

2. Crispy Fried Shallots – Asian garnish widely available these days, salty, oily, crispy. Such a frequent player in my recipes I even wrote an About page here. Find it in the Asian section of supermarket but cheaper at Asian stores!

3. Sambal Oelak – chilli paste which makes a nice sauce for smothering. Made with fresh chillis (no oil or flavourings), found in large grocery stores and Asian stores. Substitute with sriracha or a not-too-spicy chilli crisp (taste and check) – sauce will have chilli crunch chunks and be oilier (yum!). A reader also made and loved this with Gochujang!

4. Soy sauce – Don’t use soy sauce labelled “dark soy sauce”, way too intense and salty, will ruin the dish. Any general “soy sauce” or “light soy sauce” can be used.

5. Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that is found in large grocery stores and Asian stores. Brings a depth of flavour and sweetness into an otherwise simple sauce, is one of 3 core sauces in Japanese cooking (ie it’s good stuff!). Sub with honey for a non alcoholic version – sauce still great but not quite the same restaurant-y complexity of flavour.

6. Storage – Keeps in the fridge for 2 days though the sauce does go watery because the zucchini will continue to sweat water as it cools. Still tasty though because the sauce is quite intense so it can take some watering down!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 143cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

More things to make with zucchini

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Cheesy Zucchini Bread (No Yeast)

Quick & Easy Baked Zucchini

Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce

Zucchini Tian (Naturally Healthy)

Chinese Zucchini Pancakes

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Greek Zucchini Tots (Mini Fritters)

Life of Dozer

Let down alert!

On Monday I promised to share some “nice” photos from the Mudgee Readers’ Festival when I received the professional event photos, thinking there’d be plenty of sweet photos of him and I together.

That’s so typical of me to manifest that sort of thing in my mind. The reality is, the only “nice” photos of us together require much co-ordination, tugging and pulling, bear hugging and treats to entice him to co-operate. So, actually, looking through the photos I received, there weren’t that many of him and me! 😂

Here’s the best:

And here he is in a big group shot from the lunch at the Blue Wren Farm Restaurant – I met, chatted and took pics with everyone who attended!

And here I am doing a talk during lunch with Rebecca Saunders, a professional speaker in Mudgee. Dozer is under the table, waiting for food scraps. 😂

Then there’s the “real” photos captured of Dozer at the lunch. They are all along the lines of these:

And actually, this is the only posed shot of Dozer and me together – at the very end of the lunch, when everything had been cleared away and all the guests had left. Ha ha!!! So typical of me!

I have the best dog in the world. – N x ❤️

The post Spicy Asian Zucchini appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Introducing my (current) favourite sweet potato recipe: roasted thick steak-like slabs of sweet potato served with a whipped tahini sauce and a garlicky-sesame-chilli topping for a Middle Eastern inspired MEATY meatless dinner!

Sweet potato steaks

Named as such because the thick slices of sweet potato kind of remind me of meaty steaks, I love this recipe because it uses economical sweet potatoes to make a really tasty, satisfying meat-free dinner that’s something a little different. Here in Sydney, you can even find “imperfect” sweet potato for as little as 99c/kg ($0.50/lb, GBP0.50/kg).

Cut thick slabs, roasted until tender then dig into it with a knife and fork like you would a rib-eye.

Though, today’s “steaks” are dressed up a whole lot more than I do with beef steaks! A generous smear of tahini yogurt, and a glittering, sizzling topping of garlic, sesame seeds, green and red cayenne peppers. STELLAR flavour combination!

Meet the players in todays’ recipe!

1. Slabs of sweet potato roasted with a simple spice mix until golden on the surface and tender inside.

2. The garlic-sesame-chilli topping.

3. The Whipped Tahini Yogurt (well, it’s just whisked, but “whipped” sounds better 😂)

4. Crunchy toasted flatbread for dunking! (Optional)

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these meaty meatless steaks. I have an easy alternative for the topping if you need to speed things up. But don’t skip the Tahini Yogurt Sauce or the seasoning for the sweet potato!

a big sweet potato & Seasoning

• Large sweet potato – We need a large one because we will be cutting 2 thick steaks from the centre of it. If you don’t have a large one, don’t fret! Just make more smaller ones.

• Seasoning – Nothing unusual here, just all my usual players. I like to use smoked paprika because it’s got a lovely….well, smokey flavour. 😂 But you can just substitute with ordinary paprika.

Whipped tahini yogurt

“Whipped” is an elaborate name for something that takes 20 seconds to whisk!! 😂 I use the name as a clue of the texture which is more light and fluffy than a basic yogurt sauce. It’s almost like soft whipped cream.

• Plain yoghurt – Not sweetened, and not flavoured.

• Tahini – Paste made with sesame seeds. Usually found in the health food aisle at grocery stores. Use hulled tahini (more common), not un-hulled which is darker and more bitter. The jar label will specify which it is.

  Use Chinese sesame paste as a sub if you have leftovers from other recipes I’ve shared, like this one or this one!

• Lemon – For tangy lemon flavour.

• Garlic – Because it makes it tastier. Finely grate it using a microplane so you don’t have big lumps in the sauce.

TOPPING (or not)

This garlicky, oniony, sesame topping speckled with non-spicy flecks of green and red chilli adds interest, colour and flavour to this sweet potato dish. But on nights when it’s all too hard, I’ll give this a miss and just use a handful of store-bought Crispy Asian Shallots. Crispy, oily and salty, it works a treat as a finishing touch!

• Shallot (US: eschalot) – Also known as French onions, they look like baby onions but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions. Substitute with same amount of finely minced red onion.

• Cayenne peppers – the large chilies that are not very spicy at all once deseeded. They provide a warm hum! If you’re concerned, leave it out and substitute with 1 tsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Different flavour profile but they will bring something else to the dish to compensate.

• Garlic – Finely minced and fried up until golden, it adds a stack of flavour to this topping!

• Toasted pine nuts – For sprinkling on at the end. Substitute with other nuts: pistachios (love the green colour and flavour!), almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds.

• Coriander/cilantro – For a fresh finish and also for colour. Coriander haters can substitute with parsley or chives, but for me, I really like coriander for these Middle Eastern flavours.

How to make Sweet Potato Steaks

This recipe kind of reminds me of a salad – the ingredients list looks lengthy but the making part is low effort!

Cooking the sweet potato steaks

1. Sweet potato cutting – Using a sharp knife, cut a small slice off one end so you can stand the sweet potato upright, stable.

2. Cut the cheeks off, then cut two x 1.8cm/0.7″ thick steaks from the middle that are flat on each side. Ignore my very specific steak size guide (1.8 cm thick, 17 cm long, 7 cm wide (0.7 x 6.5 x 2.75″), just cut whatever you can using the sweet potato you have!

   Too hard? If cutting steaks standing the potato upright is too hard, just cut 1.8cm/0.7″ thick rounds and make sweet potato “filet mignon”!! Depending on your potato size, you should be able to make 4 to 6.

3. Rub with just 2 teaspoons of olive oil then sprinkle with the seasoning mix.

4. Bake at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced) for 45 – 50 minutes or until tender. Don’t flip – we want good colour on the surface.

Topping, sauce & assembling

1. Whipped tahini yogurt sauce – Put the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, then whisk again for 10 seconds – it will be like soft whipped cream. Serve straight away or at room temp.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry small pan until they have golden patches, become shiny with oil and smell amazing. Remove immediately into a bowl.

3. Topping – Heat the oil then sauté all the Topping ingredients for a few minutes until the garlic is golden.

4. Assemble – Smear sauce on a plate.

5. Still assembling… Place the sweet potato on top.

6. Almost finished…. Sprinkle with Topping, pine nuts, coriander/cilantro then a swish of olive oil. A pinch of sumac wouldn’t go astray either, if you’ve got some (lovely lemony red spice used in Middle Eastern / Mediterranean cooking). Now it’s ready to EAT!!

Highly recommended – crispy bread for serving

I will happily eat this just as it is. There’s so much flavour packed into one plate, and that yogurt sauce really makes it.

But if you want to take it over the top, serve with a crispy bread of some kind. Great textural contrast and excellent vehicle for piling! My favourite is some pita or Lebanese bread with a sprinkle of zataar or dukkah. Then just bake for 10 minutes until crispy – pop it in the oven with the sweet potato.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Sweet potato steaks

Recipe video above. I know the ingredients looks exorbitantly long for something I describe as "an easy way to turn sweet potatoes into a really tasty meaty dinner"! But actually, it is very straight forward. Thick slices of sweet potato roasted with a simple spice mix, then served on a bed of tahini yogurt topped with a glitter of garlic-sesame-chilli and pine nuts. It's a fabulous flavour combination!

Serve with something crunchy – toasted pita bread is my pick. (Note 5)

Course Main, Side Dish

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword sweet potato recipe, sweet potato steaks

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 2

Calories 682cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 gigantic sweet potato – to cut 2 x “steaks” 1.8 cm thick, 17 cm long, 7 cm wide (0.7 x 6.5 x 2.75") – Note 1
• 2 – 3 tsp olive oil

Spice mix:

• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (or more garlic powder)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or more onion powder)
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Whipped tahini yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup plain yogurt (250g)
• 2 1/2 tbsp tahini (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove , finely grated
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Topping:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp eschallot (US: shallot), finely chopped (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp red cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely chopped (not spicy, Note 4)
• 1 tbsp green cayenne pepper , deseeded, finely chopped (not spicy, Note 4)
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

Serving:

• 2 tbsp pine nuts , toasted
• 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped
• Pinch of sumac , optional (or paprika)
• Pita or lebanese bread , toasted (Note 5)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced). Line a tray with parchment/baking paper.
• Bake sweet potato – Rub sweet potato steaks with oil, then sprinkle each side evenly with spice mix (don’t rub, it smears). Bake 45 – 50 minutes until potato is soft. Don’t flip.
• Tahini yogurt sauce – Whisk ingredients in a medium heat-proof bowl until mostly combined. Microwave for 20 seconds on high. Whisk again – it will be like softly whipped cream! Use warm or at room temp.
• Toast pine nuts in a small pan (no oil) preheated over medium heat. Once lightly golden, remove into a bowl.
• Topping – In the same pan, heat oil (still on medium). Add all Topping ingredients and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden. Transfer into a bowl immediately.
• Assemble – Smear most of the yogurt sauce on plate (save some for drizzling). Put sweet potato on top. Sprinkle with Topping, drizzle with yogurt sauce, then sprinkle with pine nuts, coriander and sumac. EAT with crunchy toasted flatbread!

Notes

1. Sweet potato cutting – Using a sharp knife, cut a small slice off one end so you can stand the sweet potato upright, stable. Cut the cheeks off, then cut two x 1.8cm/0.7″ thick steaks from the middle that are flat on each side.

Ignore my very specific steak size guide, just cut whatever you can using the sweet potato you have! And if cutting steaks standing the potato upright is too hard, just cut 1.8cm/0.7″ thick rounds and make sweet potato “filet mignon”!! You can make more than 2.

2. Tahini – Paste made with sesame seeds. Usually found in the health food aisle at grocery stores. Use hulled tahini (more common), not un-hulled which is darker and more bitter. The jar label will specify which it is.

Use Chinese sesame paste as a sub if you have leftovers from recent recipes I’ve shared, like this one or this one!

3. Shallot (US: eschalot) – Also known as French onions, they look like baby onions but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions. Substitute with same amount of finely minced red onion.

4. Cayenne peppers – the large chilies that are not very spicy at all once deseeded. They provide a warm hum! If you’re concerned, leave it out and substitute with 1 tsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Different flavour profile but they will bring something else to the dish to compensate.

5. Crispy pita or Lebanese bread – Cut bread into manageable pieces (or roast whole then break by hand – fun!). Spray or brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toast in the oven under the sweet potato for the last 10 minutes or so until crisp.

6. Saving on calories – If you want to cut down on fat, please don’t lower the star rating because you’re not happy with the end result (that’s not fair! 😂) BUT here is what you can do (in order of what I’d do first):

a) Use olive oil spray for the sweet potato – save 50 cal per serving
b) Use oil spray to sauté the topping (but be a little generous else it’ll never sizzle!) – save 100 cal per serving
c) Use low fat instead of full fat yogurt – save 60 cal per serving (note: sauce will be thinner)
d) Skip tahini and just make plain yogurt lemon garlic sauce – save 110 cal per serving. I’d be really sad if you had to do this – tahini is so good!
Total potential calorie saving 330 cal (682 cal down to 352 cal).

Nutrition per serving, assuming all yogurt sauce is consumed. This is a big, hearty, meaty meal! See note 6 for calorie cutting.

Nutrition

Calories: 682cal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 1373mg | Potassium: 1403mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 36466IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 340mg | Iron: 5mg

Some of my (current) favourite meatless meals

Eggplant Curry – South Indian Brinjal Curry

AWESOME vegetarian lettuce wraps

Easy Coconut Curry Sauce

Sesame Crusted Tofu Steaks

Vegetable Tagine

Swiss Mushroom Burgers (quick & easy)

Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Curry

Simple, Very Tasty Cauliflower Cheese Steaks

Vegetarian

Life of Dozer

He likes what he sees.

This was at the Ballroom Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney last week, hosted by Dymocks bookstore. You can watch the video here!

The post Sweet potato steaks appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

*** BIG THANK YOU for all your lovely messages in response to the news that Dinner made the New York Times best sellers list! Who ever thought a cookbook with a dog on the cover would become a NYT best seller. 😂***

As for today’s recipe – a healthy dose of cumin plus a good amount of onion and leek keeps things interesting with this Sweet Potato Soup! If leeks are a bit pricey, use more onion instead. Serve with a shower of something crunchy – croutons, nuts, crispy shallots. I used flatbread ribbons and pistachios.

Sweet potato soup

A basic sweet potato soup is made with garlic, onion and sweet potato boiled in stock that is then blitzed. It’s fine, but it’s kind of boring (sorry!).

A carton of cream and giant hunk of cheesy garlic bread will go a long way to make it more interesting. But as a general rule, I like my soups to be able to stand on their own two feet without relying on too many extras to prop it up.

Today’s flavour dial ups come in the form of lots of onion and leek, plus a whole tablespoon of cumin. Gosh, it’s amazing what a difference it makes to turn “fine” into “OMG THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!!”

All you need for The Sweet Potato Soup

Here’s all you need. The recipe only calls for 1/3 cup cream (80 ml!) for a touch of creamy mouthfeel. We don’t need much because the generous amount of leek & onion plus the cumin adds great flavour. Without these, I’d be using a lot more cream!

• Leeks and onions – These add a flavour boost without having to resort to loads of cream or tons of spices to make this soup really tasty. If leeks are a bit pricey (as they can be during some months of the year) just use an extra onion instead. Just one onion to replace two leeks. Why? Because leeks have a more subtle, mild taste than onion. Two extra onions would make this soup too oniony, I think.

  Bonus – Leeks don’t make your eyes water when you cut them! 👏🏻

• Sweet potato – 2 medium ones totalling 1 kg / 2 lb (unpeeled weight), or one gigantic one.

• Cumin powder – A spice that really compliments the sweet flavour of sweet potato. Gives this a flavour reminiscent of Moroccan food which you know is a good thing!

• Garlic – This soup was never going to happen without garlic!

• Butter and oil – Because of the sheer volume of onion and leek that is sautéed, we need 4 tablespoons of fat to cook them. I felt like using just butter makes the soup a little too buttery, but using just oil isn’t as fun. So I took the best of both worlds by using equal amounts of each.😎 You can double up on either of them, if you prefer.

• Chicken stock (or vegetable stock) – I know it’s counterintuitive to use chicken stock for an otherwise vegetarian soup. But it really does give the soup deeper flavour than vegetable stock. However, I freely substitute vegetable stock.

• Cream – Any dairy cream will work here. Thickened or heavy cream, pure cream, single cream, double cream etc.

  Alternatives – I haven’t tried coconut milk or cream but I think they’d work nicely here. Sour cream and yogurt can also be used but they won’t add that touch of creamy mouthfeel that cream gives this soup. I’d rather use an extra knob of butter, personally.

How to make sweet potato soup

I’m a stick blender girl, when it comes to soups. So much less mess than using a blender.

1. Sauté leek, onion and garlic for 5 minutes until sweet and softened.

2. Stir sweet potato and cumin for 3 minutes so it’s nicely coated in the flavoured oil and the cumin gets toasted, which brings out the flavour.

3. Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid off.

4. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.

5. Stir in cream.

6. Serve – Ladle into bowls and shower with something crispy! More chat on this below.

Soup toppers

I know I said at the beginning that this is a soup that stands on its own two feet. And it does. I drink it by the mugful, plain.

That said, I am a soup toppings gal and I will always encourage you to make soups more interesting with toppers. And wow, yes, we can do something different to the usual croutons and a swirl of cream!!! Today – crispy flatbread ribbons, a sprinkle of pistachio and swish of olive oil. Chosen as a nod to the Moroccan vibes in this soup.

I fried the crispy ribbons – for shooting speed purposes – but they are just as easily baked. Directions in the recipe. – Nagi x

PS And yes, you can absolutely do croutons instead if you prefer. Don’t let me deter you!

Watch how to make it

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The Sweet Potato Soup

Recipe video above. A healthy dose of cumin plus a good amount of onion and leek keeps things interesting with this Sweet Potato Soup! If leeks are a bit pricey, use more onion instead.

Serve with a shower of something crunchy – croutons, nuts, crispy shallots. I used pistachios and flatbread ribbons, fried for speed, but they can be baked – Note 3.

Course Soup

Cuisine Western

Keyword sweet potato soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 337cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter – or more oil
• 2 onions , diced
• 2 leeks , white and pale green part only, quartered, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ slices (Note 1)
• 2 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 kg/ 2 lb sweet potato , peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 2cm / 0.8″ chunks
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1.25 litre / 1.25 quarts chicken or vegetable stock , low sodium (Note 2)
• 1.5 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup cream (any type) or an extra knob of butter

Garnishes (Note 3)

• Something to drizzle / dollop – extra virgin olive oil, cream, yogurt, sour cream
• Something crunchy – flatbread strips (pictured, Note 3), croutons, pistachios, pepitas, crispy fried shallots

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Sauté aromatics – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, leek and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.
• Add the sweet potato and cumin, cook for another 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 20 minutes at a gentle simmer until the sweet potato is very tender (no lid).
• Blitz – Remove the pot from the stove. Blitz with a hand-held stick until smooth. (Note 4 for blender) Stir in cream.
• Garnish – Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with yogurt, cream or olive oil with a sprinkle of something crunchy – pictured with pistachios and crispy flatbread strips (Note 3).

Notes

1. Leeks washing ( video 0.09 sec) – Chop the reedy dark green part off, only use the soft white & pale green part. Cut in quarters lengthwise but keep the root intact (for gripping). The cut part of the leek will splay out like tassles / cheerleader pom poms! Hold the root part and wash the cut part of the leek under a running tap. Shake excess water off well, then chop.

2. Stock – I really do prefer this made with chicken rather than veg stock because it gives it a deeper flavour. But veg stock is a close 2nd I freely use to keep this vegetarian.

3. Garnishes – Something drizzled and something crunchy is my standard soup baseline. I used crispy flatbread strips in a nod to the vaguely reminiscent Moroccan flavours in this (I say that only because of the cumin!).

CRISPY FLATBREAD STRIPS – Cut 1cm / 0.4″ strips. Scrunch in hand (to curl) then fry in 3cm / 1″ 180°C/350°F oil for 20 seconds until light golden. Sprinkle immediately with salt while hot (so it sticks). 

BAKED OPTION – Coat strips generously with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt, bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden and crisp, tossing once or twice. Exact time will depend on thickness of flatbread.

Croutons – Cut any bread (crustless) into 0.75 cm / ⅓” cubes. Toss in a little olive oil to coat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 min, tossing halfway, until golden and crunchy. Cool fully on tray before using.

4. Blender option – Allow soup to cool for 10 minutes then transfer half into a blender. Remove the lid of the feeder tube (it might blow-off due to the heat inside!), then put the lid on. Use a folded tea towel to cover the hole then blitz until smooth. Transfer to a separate pot. Repeat with remaining soup. (Stick blender really is easier!)

Silky smooth soup – You’ll need a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. Note: soups as is might look a bit lumpy but it tastes smooth. 

5. Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the fridge. Great for freezing too! 

Nutrition per serving, soup only (because I can’t be held responsible for how crazy you go with toppings – and I fully endorse excessive toppings!).

Nutrition

Calories: 337cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 749mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 24474IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg

More cosy bowls of soup

Pumpkin Soup

Broccoli and Potato Soup

Creamy Carrot Soup

Chicken and Rice Soup

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup

Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Soups

Life of Dozer

Crashed out in his kennel at the end of a big Easter long weekend. (By “big”, I am obviously referring to extreme amounts of food scavenging and play time.)

The post Sweet Potato Soup – simple but great! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

There’s no need to pre-cook shells before you stuff them. Such a pain messing around with hot floppy shells! Just bake in loads of sauce and they’ll cook in the oven. These jumbo shells, called conchiglioni in Italian, are stuffed with spinach and ricotta. Serve with a Mega Italian Salad and garlic bread for the perfect dinner.

Stuffed shells

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but stuffing hot cooked pasta shells is a nightmare. Slipper suckers that they are, and they break so easily.

There’s no need to suffer through all that! It’s much easier to stuff raw, uncooked pasta shells and cook them in the oven simply by covering them in a LOT of sauce. It 100% works. It’s the way I’ve been cooking cannelloni/manicotti all my life.

The trick is simply to start with a large volume of watery sauce that the pasta shells cook in. Not dissimilar to cooking pasta in a pot of boiling water, actually. And by the end, that watery sauce reduces down into a lovely thick pasta sauce!

This method of cooking also deals with another pet-peeve of mine: dry pasta shells. No worries about that here, we end up with plenty of tomato sauce for serving!

What you need for stuffed pasta shells

While there’s many stuffing options for pasta shells, the most popular is probably spinach and ricotta and that’s what I’ve gone with today. Sorry for being predictable?

Jumbo shells (conchiglioni)

Jumbo shells (conchiglioni is the proper Italian name) are more readily available these days in Australian grocery stores (Woolies, Coles, Harris Farms) and the primary reason I went on a stuffed shells bender.

They are a little more expensive than typical pasta shapes – around $5 for a 500g / 1 lb packet. But they go further. You’ll need 250g / 8 oz for this recipe which serves 5 generously, possibly 6. (Let me remind you, I have a rather robust appetite! My serving portions are not skimpy).

The spinach ricotta stuffing

Here’s what you need for the stuffing. Exactly the same combination I use for spinach ricotta cannelloni, spinach ricotta rolls and the fan-favourite spinach ricotta rotolo.

For a meat option, use the beef filling in Beef Cannelloni instead.

• Spinach – use frozen for convenience (thaw, remove excess water before using), or fresh if you’ve got an abundance of it

• Ricotta – be sure to use a food quality full fat, creamy one. Tip for Australians: avoid Perfect Italiano tub in the fridge aisle of major supermarkets. It’s quite powdery and unpleasant. My favourite is Paesanella which is sold at Harris Farms and over the deli counter at large supermarkets.

• Shredded cheese – A flavoured one is best, like cheddar, tasty, gruyere. Save the mozzarella for the topping (which melts well but doesn’t have that much flavour).

• Parmesan – don’t skip this! It adds extra savouriness and seasoning to the filling. Just store bought finely shredded or grated is fine, or grate your own.

• Garlic – because it makes everything better

• Egg – for binding.

• Nutmeg – optional, but it’s a lovely touch. I use it in almost all my spinach ricotta fillings.

• Salt and pepper

The sauce

I find this method of cooking stuffed shells from raw works best with a smooth pasta sauce rather than one with lumps of crushed or diced tomatoes. The shells cook more evenly and when it finishes baking, you’re left with a lovely smooth pasta sauce.

• Tomato passata – Pureed, strained plain tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making smooth sauces rather than simmering for ages to breakdown crushed or diced tomato. More on tomato passata here.

  Substitutes – US Hunt’s tomato sauce is a perfect alternative. Otherwise, use crushed canned tomato then puree (like I do for cannelloni/,manicotti).

• Eschalots –Also known as French onions, and called “shallots” in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions.

  I like using eshalots rather than onions because they are finer so they almost disappear into the sauce so you get a lovely smooth sauce. However, you can substitute with a small onion.

• Herbs and spices – Fresh garlic, bay leaf, dried thyme and dried oregano.

• Tomato paste – To intensify the tomato flavour and thicken the sauce slightly.

• White wine – Adds depth of flavour / complexity into the sauce in a way only wine can! It’s only 1/3 of a cup and we simmer to cook out the alcohol. Substitute with more stock, or just skip it.

• Vegetable stock – We need a whole litre / quart (4 cups) because we’re making a LOT of VERY watery sauce here! Just watch the video and you’ll see how it all gets absorbed by the pasta shells, leaving behind a lovely thickened pasta sauce for serving.

• Sugar – Just a smidge, to take the sour edge off the tomato paste we’re using (tomato paste is sour!).

How to make stuffed shells

It’s actually extremely straight forward and the recipe has a nice flow to it: make the sauce first, then while it’s simmering, stuff the shells. Then assemble and bake!

How to make sauce for stuffed shells

1. Sauté aromatics – Cook the garlic and eschalots with the herbs in a large saucepan or small pot.

2. Tomato paste and wine – Cook off the tomato paste for 1 minute (this takes the raw sour edge off and deepens the flavour) then add the wine and simmer rapidly on high heat until it’s mostly evaporated.

3. Simmer 20 minutes – Add the remaining ingredients then simmer on low for 20 minutes with the lid off.

4. Watery sauce! The sauce will be VERY watery and there will be loads. Have faith! You need it all – the shells absorb most of that liquid. Keep the sauce hot – we want to use it hot.

Stuffing & bake

1. Stuffing – Mix the spinach ricotta stuffing ingredients together.

2. Stuff the raw uncooked shells. I find it easiest to use a small offset spatula (like a butter knife with a bend in it, super useful kitchen tool). Else a knife, spoon – whatever you find makes it easiest for you.

3. Assemble – Pour the hot sauce into a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ baking dish. Then gently place the pasta shells in. They will be mostly submerged, some might semi-float. But you want most if not all of the pasta submerged under liquid so it cooks evenly (a bit poking above is fine as it will steam-cook).

4. Bake 70 min covered – Cover the dish with a baking tray (or foil) and bake for 70 minutes. Yes, really, it will take that long!

   Why a baking tray? Easy way to cover the baking dish, no waste, no burning yourself, and it lets a little bit of steam escape to help the sauce reduce just the right amount.

5. 15 min bake, cheesed – Remove the baking dish from the oven. Sprinkle with cheese then bake for a further 15 minutes until bubbly and golden.

6. Serve! Scoop and serve. Marvel at how the shells are perfectly al dente and how there’s so much lovely sauce to serve it with!

Serve with a quick rocket balsamic salad (that’s arugula, to those of you in the States!) or if you’re out to impress, a Mega Italian Salad (it lives up to its name). Add a side of garlic bread and tiramisu to finish, and that’s pretty much my idea of a perfect dinner. When am I coming over?? – Nagi x

Goes well with

Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan

Mega Italian Salad

Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread

Tiramisu (Chef recipe!)

Whole Orange Cake – rind and all!

Watch how to make it

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Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells (Conchiglioni)

Recipe VIDEO above. There's no need to mess around stuffing hot floppy shells. Just stuff uncooked jumbo pasta shells and bake in loads of sauce! Bonus: The shells absorb the flavour of the sauce, and there's plenty of tasty sauce for serving. Because nobody likes dry pasta shells!

Course Mains

Cuisine American-Italian, Italian, Western

Keyword pasta shells, stuffed shells

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 5 – 6 people

Calories 798cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Sauce (you need LOTS!):

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 eschallots/shallots or 1 small onion , finely chopped (Note 1)
• 4 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub dried)
• 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 700g / 25 oz tomato passata (US: tomato sauce) (Note 2)
• 1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (sub more stock)
• 4 cups vegetable stock/broth , low sodium
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1/3 tsp black pepper

Filling:

• 250g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (Note 3)
• 500g / 1 lb ricotta , full fat please (Note 4)
• 1/2 cup parmesan , finely shredded
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss, anything!)
• 1 egg
• 1 large garlic clove , minced
• Grated fresh nutmeg (just a sprinkling) or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
• 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Stuffed shells

• 250g / 8 oz jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni) (Note 3)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup parmesan , shredded
• Fresh basil and parmesan , for garnish (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauce:

• Sauté – Heat oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Reduce wine – Add wine, increase heat to high and let it simmer rapidly until mostly evaporated (about 2 minutes).
• Simmer – Add passata, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir then simmer on low *(uncovered) for 20 minutes. Use while hot.

Filling:

• Squeeze spinach – Grab handfuls of spinach and squeeze out excess water.
• Mix filling – Place spinach in a bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix well.

Assemble & Bake:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
• Stuff – Stuff UNCOOKED shells with spinach ricotta filling. Stuff them full!
• Assemble – Pour the hot tomato sauce in a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13" baking dish. Gently place the stuffed shells in – most will be submerged, some may poke above surface.
• Bake – Cover with a baking tray (or foil) then bake for 70 minutes.
• Cheese it! Check the shells – they should be al dente! (If not, return to oven, covered). Sprinkle with mozzarella then parmesan. Bake 15 minutes until melted.
• Serve, garnished with extra parmesan and basil if desired!

Notes

1. Eschallots / shallots  – Also known as French onions, and called “shallots” in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions.

2. Tomato passata – Pureed, strained plain tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Passata is excellent for making smooth sauces. More on tomato passata here.

Subs – US Hunt’s tomato sauce is a perfect sub. Can also used crushed canned tomato then puree (like I do for cannelloni/,manicotti).

3. Spinach – I use frozen spinach for the convenience and also because I’m a sucker for the whole “snap frozen” thing. To use fresh, use about 500g/1 lb sliced spinach leaves or baby spinach leaves, saute with a little oil to wilt down and remove excess liquid. Cool then proceed with recipe.

4. Ricotta – Low fat ricotta is harder and drier, so it’s more difficult to pipe into the tubes plus once baked, is not as juicy and moist. Avoid Perfect Italian brand in tubs (Australia, Woolies, Coles etc), has an unpleasant powderiness about it, I find. My favourite is Paesanella.

5. Giant shells (conchiglioni) – available at large grocery stores in Australia these days (Woolies, Coles), also Harris Farms (Syd/Bris) and Italian / delis etc. No need to pre-cook – makes it a nightmare to stuff, the slippery suckers that they are! Just need loads of thin pasta sauce.

I know 250g/8z doesn’t sound like much but it really does serve 5 if not 6 people (with normal appetites).

6. Leftovers – refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze, thaw, then reheat covered in microwave for best results.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings (quite generous). 

Nutrition

Serving: 407g | Calories: 798cal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1716mg | Potassium: 1338mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8080IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 792mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

Wow. He really will eat anything.

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