If you grow any vegetables in your garden or pots at home, then chances are that you’re growing courgettes and tomatoes and will have them coming out of your ears right now in the height of summer. This is a great recipe to help you get through a glut of homegrown veg, or a lovely summer supper if you buy your veg from a supermarket.
Pilaf, or pilau, is a rice dish found originally between the Mediterranean, Middle East, and South Asia, but is popular around the world. The common theme is that the rice is cooked in stock with spices and vegetables. This dish is a variation on classic stuffed Mediterranean vegetables, but without the hassle of stuffing – just pile it all up on a plate and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
1 courgette per person
Handful cherry tomatoes per person
1 cup of rice per person
1 small onion (chopped)
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
Cumin (ground)
Coriander ground)
Fennel seeds
Pinch chilli flakes
1 lemon
Water or vegetable stock
Tahini
METHOD
Sweat off the onion and garlic in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat for a few minutes until translucent. Add the cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes. Add the rice and mix with the spice mix, the juice and some zest from the lemon, then add the stock or water to cover and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed. If the rice isn’t fully cooked then add a splash more stock or water and keep cooking until absorbed.
Meanwhile, split your courgettes in half lengthways and pan fry, cut half down, with the tomatoes over a high heat for a few minutes. You want colour! Transfer them to the grill, and cook until there’s some charring. Alternatively, you could cook them on the barbecue.
Assemble by placing the courgette on your plate and then spooning some of your pilaf rice over the top, placing the tomatoes around it and drizzling some tahini dressing over the top. Garnish with a sprig of a Mediterranean herb like fresh oregano or marjoram, if you have any in your garden or window box!