Griddled courgettes, steak & chickpea dressing

As usual, I received my veg box this week. I LOVE veg boxes! It’s like receiving a present: you never know what you are going to find in it. Well in fact, you can find out if you check their website but doing so would be like opening a Xmas present before the big day... RIDICULOUS!

Along the beetroots, spinach, leeks and apples, I found a B.E.A.utiful courgette. Not the tiny ones you find in the supermarkets all year long, no, no, no! A big one with distinctive shades of green and bits of soil stuck to it. This means my courgette has grown in a field!

The other day, I found this recipe from Anjum Anand, which seemed yummy. But because of my allergies to spices and Mister Lapin’s love of meat, I had to make some changes.

It was very tasty, fresh and full of flavours. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

Oh, and sorry for the "pictures". I was kind of starving and didn't take any pics of the preparation. Then I used my phone for the ones below: total fail I say!

Ingredients (2 pers)

• 1 large courgette
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 200gr tin chickpea, drained and rinsed
• 2 steaks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 red onion finely chopped
• Parsley chopped
• 100gr feta cheese crumbled
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• 15gr-shelled pistachios
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil

Method

Heat a griddle pan. Cut the courgettes into slices, no more than ½ cm thick with a mandolin. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and griddle in single layers, in batches, for 3 min on each side.

Transfer to a warm oven as you cook.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, gently cook the chopped onion for a few minutes. Tip into a bowl and stir together with the chickpeas and lemon juice. Season to taste. Using a stick blender, blend the chickpea preparation with 2 ½ tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and pistachios.

Once all the courgettes slices are griddled, use the same pan (to keep the taste of the courgettes) to griddle the steaks.

Cut the steaks into slices of around 3cm thick, Arrange the courgettes on a platter, add the steaks and drizzle with the dressing. Toss the parsley with the feta and scatter over it.

Ta-Dah!

Rose Petal Wine

I wanted another recipe for my first blog entry. However, due to my terrible wonderful planning skills and stubbiness... here I am! The reason why I’m such in a rush with this recipe is that because Mister Lapin is coming next week and then we will go away at my sister in the Loire Valley for a few weeks. The problem being with the rose petal wine is that it takes time to make and the rose’s season will be over when we get back!

At my house in France, there are a lot of roses, everywhere in fact! The name of the place is actually La Roseraie. I think it’s clear: It would be a sacrilege not to make the most of it. There are plenty of different varieties, colours, smells and every morning when I go in the garden for my breakfast (some raspberries and cherries right from the tree) I look at those roses, checking on their progress.

Roses are great, you can eat them, you can offer them, and it can bring some joy in your living room… The only thing I don’t like about the roses is taking care of the bushes! It’s seems complicated and I’m never sure if I do it right.

Anyway, here is my rose petals wine recipe:

Ingredients

- 60 petals of red roses

- 60gr of sugar

- 1 litre of pink wine

Method 

Take off the white bits from the petals. Wash them and scatter them on a dry tea towel. Leave to dry for about a week (I left them in the drying room to make it quicker). 

Once the petals are dry, put them in a jar, add sugar and then wine and put the lid on. 

Leave it to macerate for 20 days (more or less).

When the maceration is done, filter the mixture into a mull and transfer the wine into bottle. Leave it to rest for a minimum of 3 weeks before enjoying it.

Ta-Dah!