CSA: Zucchini Bahjis
Zippy and terrific
Sometimes I make onion bahjis, and I use two exotic flours, many spices and start 30 minutes in advance so the onions can soak. It’s summer and I am into fast and delicious. The zucchini are growing so fast that Sunday, when I went to pick squash flowers for a client meal, one of the round squashes had become as big as a moderate-sized pumpkin. They need to be picked everyday.
So this is my new zucchini bahji. I have liked it so much during the trial period that I wake up some mornings wishing I could have it for breakfast. Here is a small recipe to serve 2-3 people, although when I took the plateful to Olga and Ivano’s house, Ivano had eaten them all before Olga got home! She couldn’t provide a review other than, “They must have been good.”
Zucchini Bahji
1-2 zucchini grated or julienned finely
2 tablespoons onion, grated or julienned finely
batter:
1 cup (130 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Indian spice mix; I used pickling masala which I have kept for 5 years and it is still powerful!
Mix those ingredients together and then add:
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
Using a whisk or a fork, stir all this together to form a thick batter. Add the vegetables and toss them around with a fork so that everything is coated and homogeneous.
Heat 1/2 inch or 1.5 cm of seed oil (peanut, safflower, etc.) in a frying pan. When it is hot, 170 C or 350 F, drop the batter into it by spoonfuls. They will brown and puff very quickly. Use tongs to turn them over and let them brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Serve them hot. These can be antipasto, side dish or even a vegetarian center of the plate.
I really like them. They are spicy, but not too very spicy, crunchy, but with a soft center. They take about 10 minutes to prep and a few more to cook, depending on how wide your frying pan it. They are so easy, it is something I can just add for the heck of it to a meal I’m making for others. Not Italian, but at least one italiano is enthusiastic…
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I just read your piece on slowfood about your trip to Gaeta, I was delighted to hear that your best meal was at Pizzeria da Luisella, I’m Luisella (Scottish) and have been following your blog for about a year, what a pity that we didn’t know that when you stopped by.
I’ll be telling you what I think of these after this evening, when I’ll be having a go myself. Fact.
Bahjis make me feel giggly and wobbly. Love ‘em too much.
By Indian spice mix, I take it you don’t mean what’s commonly called curry powder, but something with a bit more variety?
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I don’t have any Indian spice mix – suggested substitutes????
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..PECORINO CHEESE =-.
Yeah, both of you, make a spice mix youself. like a masala with some kick. Turmeric, cumin, chili-peperoncini, cinnamon, cloves, etc. I have always made my own garam masala using internet recipes, because fenugreek makes my house stink! Anyway, it should have a kick, because once in all that batter with all that veg it wimps out a lot. I made bahji of beans and peas for breakfast yesterday because it was going to be the only real meal I got and I didn’t have any squash. They were good, too. Working every night screws up the meal schedule.
Thanks for speaking up. I didn’t know I had anything on Slowfood… it wasn’t Slow Travel was it?
Probably no one loves comments more than me and gets fewer. Talk to me!
Of course there are lots of variations in the recipes, but most seem to call for cardamom, something I don’ t have – don’t even know what it is, really! Is it available here in Italy, and if so, by what name?
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..CHOCOLATE IN CORTONA =-.
Yes, it is available in green or brown. It’s very useful, really. People put it into coffee and N Africans chew it after a meal to aid digestion and clean the breath. AFAIK it is called cardamomo!
Barb, you need to look up the Arab butchers and markets. They are all around and they have a lot of good things and are often quite cheap. They invented couscous, so start with that.
There is an Arab butcher in Marsciano, but other than that I don’ t know of any Arab markets. At least I can buy cardamom the next time I’m at the grocery – thanks!
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..CHOCOLATE IN CORTONA =-.