vegan zucchini side dish / contorno di zucchine vegano

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[versione in italiano]

a light, flavorful side dish
(linen napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor¹ an author I featured in a post last year with her novel Winter Cottage². Both novels are centered around a mansion, whose walls know secrets that the reader learns as chapter follows chapter and the story moves back and forth between present and past.

In Honeysuckle Season, the protagonist, Libby, finds out who her biological parents were and also finds love and the realization of her wishes. Taylor's novels are centered around strong female characters. Her writing style is enjoyable and the stories keep the reader's attention. If you are looking for a summer read, this is a good candidate.

zucchini season has started!
(linen napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Libby's love interest, Colton, is a widower with two young boys. Their food preferences are what one would expect and what I remember were my brother and my preferences at the same age: we could have eaten pizza for lunch and dinner every day of the week, though maybe part of its appeal was the fact that we didn't eat it as often.

When zucchini season starts I am reminded how much we disliked that vegetable, regardless of how it was prepared. In time, my taste changed, while my brother's didn't: to this day he remains opposed to anything zucchini. That gave me the idea of preparing a zucchini dish with other ingredients that would have made us run away as children. 

easy-to-make hemp milk is a great ingredient
(linen napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

In recent months I have been experimenting with making non-dairy milk to use not for drinking, but as an ingredient, in particular cashew milk (latte di anacardi) to make chia seed pudding² and hemp milk (latte di canapa) to use in cooking. Reading the cookbook Go Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming³ has been fundamental in making me settle on a recipe: what I took from her is the suggestion to finely grind the nuts (frutta secca a guscio) or seeds (semi) first, then mix in the water. I don't add anything nor do I filter the milk to remove solids.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Vegan zucchini side dish

Ingredients for the side dish:

• 4 ounces / 112 g red spring onion⁴
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 pound /450 g zucchini
• 3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon berbere (Ethiopian spice mix)
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml unsweetened hemp milk (recipe below)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

Ingredients for a small batch of hemp milk:

• 1/4 cup / 1 1/4 ounces / 35 g hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
• 1 cup / 240 ml water

To make the hemp milk: finely grind the hemp hearts in a small blender. With a small spatula, scrape the ground hemp hearts from the sides and bottom of the blender. Pour the water into the blender, then process to get the milk. Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Shake well before measuring the amount needed, as solids gather at the bottom. (I don't add anything to the milk, nor do I filter it to remove solids.)

For the side dish, chop the onion and mince the garlic. Trim the zucchini, then grate using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.

Warm up the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.

Add the onion and stir well. Lower the heat and cook until soft, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir. After 1 minute, sprinkle the berbere and stir well.

Add the grated zucchini, turn up the heat to medium, stir well and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Cover the skillet, lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes.

Uncover the skillet, add the hemp milk, sprinkle the nutritional yeast and stir well. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the zucchini are tender to your liking. Sprinkle the sea salt, stir well. Take off from the heat.

Serve warm.

Serves 3.

This dish is light and has a delightful "green" flavor, with a chees-y nuance provided by the nutritional yeast. It pairs well with various main courses, including frittata and legumes.

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¹ The novel's page on the author's website which includes an excerpt
² Earlier post featuring a novel by Mary Ellen Taylor
³ The author's website
⁴ A video explaining the difference between spring onions and green onions (a.k.a., scallions)

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

contorno di zucchine vegano

or launch the contorno di zucchine, vegano audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

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This is my contribution to the 42nd edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started over 14 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

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FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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onion, zucchini, hemp milk, side dish, vegan, Italian cuisine

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contorno di zucchine vegano

un contorno leggero e saporito
(tovagliolo di lino de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Da piccola detestavo le zucchine, poi per fortuna i miei gusti sono cambiati e adesso mi piacciono molto.

è cominciata la stagione delle zucchine
(tovagliolo di lino de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Durante la loro stagione, che qui è cominciata di recente, le compro ogni volta che vado a fare la spesa al mercato dei produttori. Ogni anno mi diverto ad inventare nuovi modi per prepararle. Qui sotto la prima invenzione del 2021.

latte di canapa: un ottimo ingrediente, facile da preparare
(tovagliolo di lino de La FABBRICA del LINO)

In questi ultimi mesi ho fatto esperimenti nella preparazione di alternative vegetali al latte, non per bere ma per utilizzare come ingrediente, in particolare latte di anacardi per fare il budino ai semi di chia (la mia colazione quotidiana) e latte di canapa per cucinare. Dal libro di ricette Go Dairy Free di Alisa Fleming¹ ho tratto l'idea di macinare la frutta a guscio o i semi prima e poi aggiungere l'acqua. Non aggiungo altri ingredienti e non filtro il latte per rimuovere i solidi che rimangono.

Ingredienti per il contorno:

• 112 g cipollotto rosso
• 3 spicchi d'aglio
• 450 g zucchine
• 45 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
• 1/4 cucchiaino berbere (misto di spezio etiope)
• 30 ml / 2 cucchiai latte di canapa (ricetta qui sotto)
• 1,5 cucchiai lievito nutrizionale (detto anche lievito alimentare)²
• 1/2 cucchiaino sale fino

Ingredienti per il latte di canapa:

• 35 g semi di canapa decorticati
• 240 ml acqua

Per preparare il latte di canapa: macinare finemente i semi di canapa decorticati. Frullare con l'acqua fino ad ottenere il latte. Versare in un vasetto di vetro e conservare in frigorifero fino al momento dell'utilizzo. Agitare bene prima di versarlo per reincorporare il deposito. (Io non aggiungo alcun ingrediente al latte e non lo filtro per rimuovere le particelle solide.)

Per il contorno, tritare il cipollotto e l'aglio. Pulire le zucchine e grattugiarle con la parte a buchi più grossi della vostra grattugia.

In una padella scaldare l'olio a fuoco medio. Aggiungere il cipollotto e mescolare. Cuocere a fuoco basso fino a quando sia tenero, mescolando spesso. Aggiungere l'aglio e mescolare. Dopo un minuto, spargere il berbere e mescolare bene.

Aggiungere alla padella le zucchine grattugiate, alzare il calore a livello medio, mescolare bene e cuocere per un minuto, continuando a mescolare. Incoperchiare la padella, abbassare il calore e cuocere per 3 minuti.

Scoperchiare, aggiungere il latte di canapa, spargere il lievito nutrizionale e mescolare bene. Incoperchiare di nuovo e cuocere per 4-5 minuti o fino a quando le zucchine siano tenere al punto di vostro gradimento. Spargere il sale e mescolare bene. Togliere la padella dal fornello.

Servire le zucchine ben calde.

Porzioni: 3.

Questo è un piatto leggero dal sapore "verde" al quale fa da complemento la nota nociata del lievito. Accompagna bene diverse pietanze, come frittata e legumi.

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¹ Il sito dell'autrice (in inglese)
² Il lievito nutrizionale (o alimentare) è un lievito inattivo, cioè non ha alcuna capacità lievitante. Viene spesso usato per imitare il formaggio in piatti vegani, ma è un'ottima aggiunta alla dieta di chiunque.

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FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il tovagliolo gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentare il prodotto sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

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Porto il mio contorno di zucchine vegano con latte di canapa sulla tavola del 5° mese del gruppo Fattoria consapevole e solidale: i semi oleosi

La lista delle ricette contribuite questo mese.

 

Comments

[Camilla Mann]

I have never made hemp milk. I will have to try it. Your dish looks fantastic, by the way. Thanks for sharing it.

[Wendy M. Klik]

Well, like everyone else in the world, I am always looking for new zucchini recipes. Thanks for this one...it sounds wonderful.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Camilla :) At the beginning, I bought hemp milk in a carton, then realized it is easy to make. Also, I can make a smaller amount than in the carton.

Indeed, it's that time of year, Wendy. You're welcome :)

[Claudia]

I don't grow it, so am not one of those always looking for zucchini recipes, though I do like the vegetable. It's just a bit more prolific than our needs require. Your dish looks like a perfect way to serve it on it's own. Around here it usually shows up in a spaghetti dish or similar.

[Simona Carini]

I decided to try again this year and planted two zucchini seedlings, Claudia, but they are not doing well. Maybe it's not warm enough where we are. The lettuce is doing well, so it is not all bad news. I get zucchini at the farmers' market. I like trying different varieties. I can see using my recipe to dress pasta :)

[Elizabeth]

The walls know secrets!! How eerily thrilling.

I'm afraid that I am still in the phase of not really liking zucchini. However, this salad may just convert me! It looks delicious.

(I also think that my dislike of zucchini stems from the vegetable's refusal to grow in our garden. We get lots of beautiful flowers, but zero zucchini develops. It's the penalty of having a black thumb.)

[Elizabeth]

addendum: this is not to say that you have a black thumb, Simona! Others have told me that it could be that the flowers are not getting pollinated. (But we have plenty of bees buzzing around here - thank goodness - but only male flowers are being produced!)

[Simona Carini]

I understand that plants do what they want, Elizabeth. My lettuce is doing great, so even though I don't have my zucchini, I make nice salads :) I hope you cook some of the blossoms: they are a treat. And yes, all walls know secrets :)