Foodie Friday - cooking a courgette kuku

For an easy lunch or perhaps a light meal in the early evening, sometimes my thoughts turn to a tortilla or even better, a frittata. I've always liked Nigel Slater's broad bean frittata recipe, but the other night, I fancied something different. I still wanted eggs though, and luckily there's no shortage of eggs in our village. Willie and Kate's hens at the end of our lane don't know it's lockdown, and haven't been put on furlough.

I sat at the kitchen table, with a glass of wine, having a leisurely look through some of my cookbooks and I found the recipe I wanted in this book., which I got last year when I began ordering a weekly box of organic vegetables ....

 I soon found a recipe for a courgette kuku. I'm all for a bit of alliteration in a title, so was intrigued and not knowing what a kuku was, I read on eagerly.

It's a Persian version of an omelette, cooked in a pan on top of the stove, with lots of herbs and flavourings. Sounded good, but  did I have all the ingredients?

I quickly scanned the fridge and my spice cupboards.Garlic yes, turmeric, yes, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground coriander and cumin all present and accounted for. I knew there were plenty of chives and mint (the herb that just gives giving)  in the garden  and a huge jug of flat-leaved parsley . I didn't have any dill but pressed on regardless...

I set to work.....

And hey presto, within minutes, there was a lovely dish served with a side salad, yoghurt and some turkish bread to mop of up the tangy lemon and mustard salad dressing.

And that's it...the recipe advises to wait at least five minutes  before serving ...and yes, fritattas and kukus are usually best served when they are slightly cooler.

 I was very hungry though, so ignored the advice , slapped the kuku on our plates and started eating! Delicious......

 This kuku was full of flavour yet not over spicy. My husband and I both loved it, and I will definitely make this easy recipe again and again, adding other vegetables possibly. Who knew I would love a kuku?

How to cook a kuku

You can find the recipe here on the Riverford website

https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/courgette-kuku

Meanwhile, there's lots of other recipes, perfect for this time of year, in the  Riverford Organic Farmers Spring and Summer Cooking with a veg box, written by Guy Watson with Kirsty Hale , Anna Colquhoun, Rob Andrew and other Riverford cooks. 

One of my favourite recipes from this book is fish, fennel and tomatoes in a bag which I cooked last week, and a  rosemary and chard gratin. Another few weeks and the silver chard  growing in my garden will be just perfect for that recipe again -  meanwhile I reckon it won't be long until I cook another courgette kuku......

The day of the food fair

 





Another year, another Melton Food Festival....it's an annual tradition eagerly awaited by many in these here parts. There's a chance to taste something new, talk to local producers and those from further afield, have a drink with friends and perhaps at some stage sit down and watch one of the cookery demonstrations.

 

 

I've been going for a number of years...including those festivals which were held at nearby Brooksby Hall in huge marquees.

 

But again this year's fair was held at the busy and thriving Cattle market in the heart of the town itself.

 

 Obviously the cattle, sheep and hens weren't there for the food festival, and as visitors walked past the empty pens to the entrance they immediately started to feel hungry. You could hear the sizzle of sausages and burgers frying and smell the distinctive bison burgers, as well as detecting the rich smell of chocolate which was accompanying fried churros.

 I managed to slide past the street food stalls without stuffing myself full of food. After all there were 150 stalls, all piled high with produce to look at, taste, try and buy.

Alistair Mattinson was manning his Hedgerow Products stand. Everything he makes is sourced from Leicestershire, collecting bullaces and damsons, medlars and rowanberries as well as crab apples. I tested them all, well nearly all, and I have to say they were full of flavour. I only  wish my blackberry jam tasted like his.

And it would have been rude not to test more from the hedgerows near Melton, this time infused with alcohol. Ooh, Sloeberry Spirits do a really mean vodka and blackberry ....they make about 5,000 bottles a year of that plus whisky and damson and sloe gin. Quite a few people buying bottles for Christmas presents....or so they said....

Another Leicestershire producer which caught my eye  was Greyfriars Fine Foods....yes, the clue is the name....Richard III has inspired Rosie Clark to make contemporary foods with mediaeval flavours. And her products were different made with mead, marigolds and rose petals...beautifully labelled.

          

 

I think Riverford Organics have been to every local food fair I've been to over the past few years, and it was at Melton a few years ago, I met Diana who was whizzing up the most delicious sweetcorn fritters while she chatted away.

I must have eaten two or three, and promptly bought the lovely Riverford Cookbook which I use often. No sweetcorn fritters this time alas, but some very tasty kale with garlic.

Of course there wasn't just local produce at this food fair...exhibitors came from far and wide and I couldn't resist buying the most delicious hazelnut salami from French Flavour

Honestly, I put the salami in the fridge as soon I returned home, and the next minute, half of it was gone...and not by me I might add. One purchase that did stay in the fridge until I was ready to cook them were the 3 pounds of excellent fennel and chilli sausages from Saporito in Market Harborough.

By now my basket and bags were full of food...and I was so tempted by this stall....

It would have so easy to buy another  basket...to take stuff home in of course....but unlike Oscar Wilde I resisted temptation. Until next year's Food Festival of course....