ZHOUG SAUCE

I love love Trader Joes Zhoug sauce and we use it often, but I’m trying to reduce our single use packaging, and this is way better anyway. I finally have notes down so we can make and gift it on our own. I have written about 3 dozen green sauce-ish recipes here, SK Cooking Club etc. - each a little bit different. This one, heavy on the heat and herbs, and a few warm spices. Because it is so warm, I think of it like a concentrate instead of just straight up (ie. putting a dollop in salad dressing or mashing with avocado). Adding just a pinch of sugar and squeeze of lime to balance it. Zhoug is of Yemenite origin, and usually found on tables in Syria and Israel. It truly boosts anything and will certainly be a go-to summer condiment for salads and flatbread and grilled items.

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Uses

• Stir a spoonful into a salad dressing

• Mix with plain Greek yogurt to make a dip

• With avocado toast

• As a protein marinade for any meat, often mixed with some toasted sesame oil and citrus for meat and chicken, or painted on seafood after grilling.

• Cucumber salad with this, a splash of champagne vinegar, tons of dill, shaved red onion

• Egg sandwich spread

• Grilled corn

• Pasta salad with lots of grilled zucchini, more herbs, baby tomatoes, feta cheese

If you make it, leave a comment about how you used it!

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ZHOUG SAUCE

Makes about 10 oz.

You can use a bit more oil if you’d like a thinner yet richer sauce, something closer to traditional Italian pesto. The below will be very herb heavy, as I prefer it this way so it can be thinned with citrus for dressings, marinades, smashed with avocado and the like. It will separate a bit which is absolutely fine and expected.

The sauce will last for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Getting spicier as it sits so heads up!

Riffed from both Ottolenghi and Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
3 jalapenos, stemmed, partially seeded and chopped
1 bundle of parsley (1 packed cup)
1 bundle cilantro (1 packed cup)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
dash of cayenne
1/2 tsp. cardamom
pinch of sugar
3/4 tsp. sea salt
squeeze of lime

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Directions

Put the garlic and jalapenos in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add the parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, cardamom, sugar, salt and lime juice and pulse a few more times. With the motor going, drizzle in the oil, scrapping down the sides to get an even, smooth sauce (still a little chunky tho).

Taste for salt and seasonings. You can always add more cayenne if needed but it will get spicier as it ages.

WATERMELON + CUCUMBER SKEWERS

Stuck on an app idea that is not a cheese plate or veggies and hummus? Look at these cute little guys! So cute. I much prefer to entertain outside than in (I think we've sat at our dining table maybe twice?), so we've been inviting friends to join us for dinner more often. The appetizer is not the part of the meal I wish to put effort towards, and these little numbers take all of 10 minutes to put together and can totally be prepped ahead and dressed last minute. If you don't find yourself needing tiny things on a skewer, I put the extra bits of watermelon and cucumber over some arugula, add some salmon, the following feta vinaigrette and wa lah, dinner. 

I recently worked with 31 Bits on a shoot featuring some of their new kitchen line. I've been using the indigo plant-dyed napkins for summer dinners and a handful of other pretty items are up on their homepage at the moment. You can read more on their company on the about page, but the they're pretty awesome as a whole. A few local girls run it and their mission is to bring more job opportunities and fair wages to artisans all over the world. Anyway, we're doing a giveaway over here Wednesday through Friday if you want to participate. 

WATERMELON + CUCUMBER SKEWERS

Makes 12

The skewers shown are available at World Market or here.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. minced shallot
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint, divided
2.5 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces feta cheese
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 mini, seedless watermelon, cut in 1” cubes
3 Persian cucumbers

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, combine the shallot, oregano, half of the mint, vinegar, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it all a stir. Crumble in the feta and give it another stir, a few chunks are ok. 

Shave the cucumbers into strands with a vegetable peeler, lengthwise. Assemble them on the skewer by putting a cube of watermelong, folding a slice of cucumber like an accordion, and then another cube of watermelon on top. Arrange them on your serving tray and drizzle the feta vinaigrette over the top. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh mint, a grind of fresh pepper and serve.

CURRY CAULIFLOWER

This is likely not the first time, nor will it be the last, you'll hear praises for Melissa's cookbook, The Minimalist Kitchen, in the food blogsphere. Over the last few years, Melissa has pared down her kitchen and cooking to focus her work on a "less is more" approach to food. It is concise and reasonable. Delicious by way of straight forward techniques. This recipe for example. I usually roast our cauliflower straight from florets, but the pre-steam made such a difference in their texture, more tender and gentle. I like them both ways. It's little things like that. I believe there are a few kinds of cookbook consumers; this book is for the person looking for quick, weeknight, crowd-pleasers made from ingredients you likely have in your pantry, or will have no trouble finding - Chilaquiles, Thai Spiced Rice Bowls, Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls - timeless sorts of things. She has tips for staying organized and decluttering your equipment and make ahead tips or pairings for nearly every recipe. It's a meal planners dream tool, really, a book to solve weeknight dinner issues. I plan on gifting to a handful of mom friends who just want real food, without the fuss. Not to mention HER HOUSE, which I have envied for years now, but that is a personal problem.
Cheers, Melissa, you nailed it. Now, where's my label maker?

CURRY CAULIFLOWER // Serves 4
From The Minimalist Kitchen by Melissa Coleman
Harissa is sold usually as more of a spice paste, but you can also purchase it dried. It is sold online, Trader Joes, and most health food stores.

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. harissa
1/8 tsp. cumin

plain yogurt, cilantro, toasted cashews (our personal additions for serving)

Preheat the oven to 450'. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, add water to just below the bottom of the basket. Bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to medium, cover and steam for 5 minutes. This will begin the cooking process.
Transfer the cauliflower to the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Drizzle over the cauliflower and toss to evenly coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir, and bake for another 15 minutes until the cauliflower begins to char on the edges. 
Taste and sprinkle with salt to finish. We served ours with plain yogurt, and garnished with toasted cashew pieces and cilantro.