People of the internet, this is delicious! Make it! End of story!
Zucchini Salad with Tahini-Hummus
serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter or side
1 lrg zucchini sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 t za'atar seasoning
2 T olive oil
1 medium tomato - diced
2 t toasted pine nuts
1/4 t ground cumin
handful cilantro leaves-whole
2 t lemon juice
s&p
Tahini-Hummus
30 g tahini
200 g hummus
1/2 lemon zested
2-3 t lemon juice
pepper (salt if needed)
When mixing tahini together into a sauce, it's important to first add it to another liquid ingredient in order to really break it down throughout the whole sauce. Otherwise you get lumps of it throughout. Sometimes, if the tahini is really hard, I add a T of boiling water to thin it out.
In this recipe I place the tahini with the lemon juice and a little of the hummus in a wide bowl and whisk it into submission! Some things in life just need a breaking in.... Once this is complete and it is more paste-like (without lumps) you can add it to the rest of the hummus and other ingredients and set aside.
In the summertime, I often make this salad with the zucchini on a BBQ grill. It adds so much flavor to any meal. But when I am not quick to light up a barbie, I use a rather hot sauté pan with the standard, oil & s&p and cook it till it's nice and golden. I also do this on a high heat with my fan on HIGH, sucking up as much of the smoke as it can as I cook. I first cut off the ends of the zucchini. Then cut it in half widthwise. Now you have 2 pieces with flat sides to set it on and they will stand on their own. From here you will cut the zucchini in about 4-5 thick strips/ribbons, lengthwise. Season with s&p.
If the zucchini is sliced about a half and inch thick (about 1 1/4 cm) it should take just a couple of minutes per side to brown and cook through evenly on a medium-high heat. Then set it on a plate to cool, as you finish all of the zucchini strips/ribbons. Once all is cooked, sprinkle the za'atar on top. After the ribbons have cooled down a bit, you can cut your zucchini in long, thinner, fajita-like strips about 1/4 of an inch wide (a little bigger than half a cm). Spread all of the sauce on a plate. Spread it almost till the sides. Then cut your tomato in verysmall cubes and sprinkle that on top. With you hands, grab the long, thick strips of zucchini and place them atop the hummus mixture in a mound. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top, sprinkle the cumin powder around the whole plate, then the pine nuts and cilantro leaves.
Eat alone or with a lovely flatbread!
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