one lazzzy girl’s lunch: crema di cucuzzi+salad leaves okonomiyaki :)

May 8th, 2009

I have been so lazy too cook these days, and fortunately all I want is simple meals, something I can make in 30 minutes or less, from scratch. One of the lazzzy lunch I made was this crema di cucuzzi. Cucuzzi is Sicilian gourd, pale green in colour and looks like a long zucchini, if you can’t find one, you can replace it with zucchini. One cucuzzi is like half kilo in weight, I only use 1/3 of it in this recipe :)

Then I saw a bag of a bit sad salad leaves, that I forgot about it. I am not so in the mood of salad, so I just sliced them very thinly and turned them into…okonomiyaki to accompany the soup :)

Crema di Cucuzzi - Cream of Sicilian Gourd

For 2

1/3 Cucuzzi (around 175g), if you can’t find one, replace with zucchini. Cut into cubes

1/2 leek, thinly sliced

1 medium potato, cut into cubes

1 clove of garlic, peel

Some twigs of thyme, discard the stalk

500ml water

some knob of butter

100ml whole milk

3 peppercorns

5 fennel seeds

5 coriander seeds

Sea salt, freshly ground pepper and ground nutmeg

Extra virgin olive oil

Some tablespoon of fresh heavy cream

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, then add the cucuzzi, potato, leek, garlic, thyme, peppercorn, fennel and corriander seeds. Boil until the vegetables are tender. Add the milk and whiz with blender/food processor (be careful in whizzing hot liquid). Season with sea salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the butter and return to heat, until almost boils. Remove from heat.

Transfer to serving bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, add a tablespoonful of fresh heavy cream and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and nutmeg.

Salad Leaves Okonomiyaki

For two

2 handful of mixed salad leaves you like, thinly sliced

1 cm ginger, finely chopped

2 eggs

2 tablespoonful whole wheat flour

4 tbsp dashi /water

Sea salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Mix the sliced salad leaves, ginger, flour and abit of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until the salad leaves are evenly coated with flour. Add the egg and dashi, mix everything very well.

Heat the frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, the add half of the okonomiyaki mixture. Fry with medium heat until brown, then flip and cook until brown. Transfer to a plate and continue with the remaining mixture.

You can just have okonomiyaki like this, or you can add any topping you like. I had mine with okonomiyaki sauce and katsuoboshi. Yum!

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