Getting a tasty evening meal on the table in next to no time is a challenge faced by all working parents. In his cook books 30-minute Meals and more recently 15-minute Meals, Jamie Oliver set out to show how this can be achieved.
About twice a month we have lamb chops or cutlets as a week day dinner. My favourite recipe is so quick and simple, it’s hardly a recipe at all. Mix equal quantities of Dijon mustard, honey and finely chopped fresh rosemary. A heaped teaspoon of each makes enough for two people. If you coat the chops with this mixture before you cook them the honey has a tendency to burn and go black. A better method is to pan fry the chops for 2-3 minutes each side in a smidgen of oil. Then paint or drizzle with the honey mixture and cook for another minute or so each side.
At the moment we have zucchini (courgettes) and fresh tarragon in the garden, so it’s time to make one of our favourite vegetable dishes Zucchini with Tarragon and Sour Cream. This recipe makes the most of the two main ingredients, zucchini and tarragon. You can buy zucchini pretty much all year round in Australia, but fresh tarragon is much harder to find. We have masses of it in the garden in summer when it grows like a weed. Then it dies down and I have to do without until next season. I’ve tried freezing, but it’s not quite the same.
This recipe is a good way of using zucchini which have grown a bit too big – just remove the seeds if they are starting to look like marrows!
Zucchini with Tarragon & Sour Cream
1 kg zucchini (courgettes)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter
½ to ¾ cup sour cream
½ cup chopped fresh tarragon, firmly packed
freshly ground black pepper
Wash zucchini, remove seeds if they are really big, but leave skin on. Grate coarsely, place in a sieve with the salt mixed through to drain for a minimum of 10 minutes and up to half an hour. Squeeze and press hard to remove most of the moisture. Heat butter in a large frying pan and stir-fry zucchini for 4-5 minutes. Add sour cream, tarragon, pepper and check to see if it needs any more salt. Don’t boil and serve immediately.
Serves 6
