One Veggie Star

Snowed under. Swamped. Buried. So describes my work situation at the moment. If you will give me a “Get Out of the Kitchen Free” card, then I will give you the recipe for a very simple Moroccan salad. Moroccans are masters at concocting salads in which one solitary vegetable is the headlining act. Radishes, green peppers, and tomatoes, for example, can all get the star treatment. The recipe below features zucchini, and is one of the many dishes I learned from the cook who introduced me to Moroccan cuisine. Lemon-tart and garlic-tinged, this salad tastes even better the next day. Warm Zucchini SaladServes 4 as a salad3¼ cups / 500 grams zucchini (a.k.a. courgette, baby marrow), very thinly sliced1½ teaspoons / 7.5 milliliters ground cumin2 teaspoons / 10 milliliters sweet paprikaPinch of cayenne¼ teaspoon / 1¼ milliliters salt2 cloves of garlic, minced1 tablespoons / 15 milliliters olive oil2½ tablespoons / 37.5 milliliters fresh lemon juice2 tablespoons / 30 milliliters vegetable broth (you can use water)Handful minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish Steam the zucchini until it is tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together the ground cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vegetable broth and parsley. Add the steamed zucchini and place over medium heat. Cook for five minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Note: You can also boil your zucchini with a pinch of salt until tender, and use reserved cooking water in place of the vegetable broth. Tags: zucchini, salad, Morocco, North Africa, recipe, Field to Feast, food blog, Africa