The other day I spent some time cleaning out my fridge and found plenty of vegetables that I needed to use up fast! I had heaps of zucchinis lying around and I thought they would be great to make a stew with, but then I remembered this recipe for a zucchini dip I once did from one of Ottolenghi’s books. This time I didn’t have all the same ingredients so I ended up changing it up a bit, but it was still so good! I’ve always used eggplants for dips but zucchinis work so well too. I had some fresh yoghurt from my friends farm as well so I really wanted to use that. I used garlic, a za’atar spice mix and a little bit of cayenne pepper to add more flavour, but really you can use whichever spices you like – coriander and cumin would also go really well. To cook the zucchini I roasted them in the oven, but I didn’t use any olive oil which I normally would use. I just thought, it’s really not that necessary because the zucchini would be blended up either way there just isn’t any point adding additional oil to the cooking (olive oil shouldn’t reach a temperature of 180 degrees or more as that is it’s smoking point) and I added plenty of raw extra virgin olive oil to the mixture in the food processor. I’ve also stopped adding salt prior to roasting vegetables (that way they retain more moisture) and so I salt the vegetables afterwards (unless its to roast some potatoes, adding salt helps with making the skin crunchier). Give this recipe a go, I’ve added some serving suggestions below! YUM
Serving suggestions
These are some ways in which you could serve this dip if you don’t eat it all at once as it is that is!
- With koftas or meat patties, spinach and sweet potato
- With Roasted sweet potatoes/ normal potatoes / roasted carrots
- With any salad such as a butterbean, tomato and basil salad or a leafy greens salad
- With roasted pork peg or lamb shoulder
- With falafels
Recipe for spiced zucchini dip
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20-30 minutes | Serves: 4-6 (this batch will last you 3 days if you make this just for yourself)
Ingredients:
7 x large zucchinis
2 x tbsp yoghurt (full fat)
1 x clove of garlic (roughly chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil (plus a little bit extra to drizzle over the top of the dip)
large pinch of salt
2 tbsp of za’atar
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it EXTRA spicy
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Rinse and dry the zucchinis then slice them in half lengthways (boat shaped). Place the halved zucchinis onto a large baking tray (with their flesh facing upwards). Roast for a minimum of 20 minutes and maximum of 30 minutes or until cooked through and the zucchinis look softened. Allow to cool briefly then transfer into a food processor.
- Add the yoghurt, the garlic, the olive oil, the salt and 1 of the tablespoons of za’atar (save the second tablespoon for later). Process for 1 minute or until the dip has just turned smooth. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Transfer the dip to a plate or small bowl and sprinkle with the leftover za’atar, the cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil and and some extra salt.
Enjoy!
