COURGETTE/ZUCCHINI CAKE (a la Nigel Slater)
Submitted by Anna Collings, Palm Beach
Sounds weird but is incredibly delicious and doesn’t actually taste of courgettes.
200g butter
200g sugar
2 eggs
2 small-ish courgettes or 1 large
1 apple
200g flour
Half teaspoon baking powder
Hefty pinch cinnamon
80g sultanas
Around 80g chopped almonds or walnuts
Method:
Cream butter & sugar till light and fluffy.
Beat eggs and mix in one at a time.
Coarsely grate the apple and courgettes and wring them out in your hands to remove excess moisture then add them to the mixture.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and gently fold into the wet mixture.
Stir in the sultanas and nuts.
Bake for around an hour at 180 C.
Allow to cool in tin before turning out. Yum.
—————
Fresh Green bean salad (Cuisine magazine)
Submitted by Louise Waghorn, Ostend.
1 kg fresh green beans
salt
50g slivered almonds
2 lemons, juice and zest
6 tablespoons of avocado oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the beans in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften, but still bright green and slightly crunchy. Refresh immediately in ice cold water and drain thoroughly.
Toast the almonds in a dry pan until just starting to colour. Make the vinaigrette, put the lemon juice and zest in a bowl with the oil, mustard, salt and pepper to taste, combine well by whisking.
To serve, put the beans in a serving dish and toss together with the almonds and vinaigrette.
Serves 6-8.
——————
Zucchini Chocolate Cake (Taranaki Daily News)
Submitted by Louise Waghorn, Ostend.
125 g butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ c flour
½ cup yoghurt
½ cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 c grated Zucchini
½ c chocolate pieces (optional)
Line a 25 cm square tin with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time with a spoonful of the flour mixture.
Add vanilla and yoghurt and stir well.
Sift in dry ingredients and stir in zucchini.
Pour into tin and sprinkle with chocolate pieces if desired.
Bake at 170°C for 45 mins.
When cool, sprinkle with sifted icing sugar or drizzle with melted chocolate!