Courgettes with Chickpeas, Green Tahini and Za’atar
Seasonal summery courgettes are tossed with chickpeas, toasted pita breads and a bright herby tahini sauce in this easy vegetarian dinner.
From the book
The Veggie Family Cookbook
120 recipes and inspirational ideas for the curious home cook.
Tasty, crowd-pleasing dishes where vegetables take centre stage.
From speedy suppers to celebratory veggie feasts and fruity desserts.
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Introduction
Recipes such as this could make cookery books redundant. You don’t really need a recipe here (shhhh, this isn’t even really cooking). With nothing tricky or ambitious to master, it’s more a case of putting your intuition into practice.
Use your instinct for which ingredients flatter one another and how best to combine them, then chuck everything in a roasting tray and remove it from the oven at just the right time. Do it with a casual insouciance that is breathtaking for the weeknight win.
Ingredients
| 4 | firm courgettes (zucchini), sliced at an angle into 2cm (¾in) rounds |
| bunch of | spring onions (scallions), cut into 5cm (2in) lengths |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil, plus more to serve |
| 2 | large pitas, lightly toasted, split and roughly chopped |
| 2 tbsp | za'atar |
| small bunch of | flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped |
| small bunch of | mint or dill, leaves or tender fronds picked and finely chopped |
| 2 x 400g (14oz) cans of | chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed |
| 250g (9oz) | plain Greek yogurt |
| 4 tbsp | tahini |
| 1 | garlic clove, crushed |
| juice of 1 | lemon |
| salt and black pepper |
Method
Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
Lay the courgettes and spring onions on a baking tray in a single layer, season with salt and brush them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Then, place them under the grill for 3–5 minutes on each side, until tender and beginning to colour – try to keep a bit of bite in the courgettes. Remove from the grill and put to one side.
Toss the pita pieces with another tablespoon of the olive oil and lay them in a single layer on a baking tray. Grill these for 1 minute or so, until golden, then sprinkle with half the za’atar.
Gently mix the courgettes, toasted pita, half the herbs and all the chickpeas with the remaining olive oil, a big pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
Blend or mix together the Greek yogurt, tahini, the remaining herbs, garlic and lemon juice, with a big pinch of salt, until well combined. Check the seasoning, adding more salt to taste, if necessary.
To serve, spoon the green tahini over the courgettes, then scatter the remaining za’atar over and give the finished dish a final slug of olive oil.
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