Now, this is not a kid dish, but something that reminds me of my time in Monaco. My favourite place for lunch was a small café in the old town of Nice that served different tartines each week, and the best was courgette.

I’ve put my own take on the purée, and added tahini to try and replicate the same memories of the smooth pate-style spread they would use on the crisp, fried bread of each tartine.

Zucchinis are so easy to grow, the problem is in many ways, that they are too easy! Below is a recipe that will help use up the excess.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking programme: Steam/Induction

Ingredients

For the zucchini puree
I large oversized zucchini, roughly sliced
2 tablespoons of tahini paste
1 small brown onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

For the zucchini salad
2 medium-sized green zucchinis
1 Granny Smith apple
3 sticks celery, peeled
1 tablespoon of finely sliced chives
1/3 cup of brazil nuts, finely grated
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

For the tartine slices
6 x 1-inch thick slices of yesterday’s sourdough with crust removed
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
10g sea salt flakes

For the warm mustard dressing
⅓ cup Japanese mayonnaise
⅓  cup Dijon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
sea salt flakes to taste
white pepper to taste
2 nitrogen bulbs

METHOD

For the zucchini puree, place the zucchini slices on a perforated steam tray, add the chopped onion, smashed garlic cloves, olive oil and salt. Mash and then Steam at 90ºC for 15 minutes. Once the ingredients are cooked through, and smells of baked garlic and olive take over the kitchen, place all ingredients into a food blender and process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, before placing into a container and reserving to the side.

For the zucchini salad, thinly slice the zucchinis (using a mandolin if you have one), then place the stacked slices onto a chopping board and cut into matchstick-size pieces. Place them a bowl. Repeat the same process with the apple. Thinly slice the celery with a vegetable peeler, then julienne. Add all the ingredients together along with the chives and Brazil nuts, season and dress with olive oil and lemon juice, reserve to the side.

For the tartine, heat a frypan over medium heat, Induction setting 6, add salt and oil to the pan and add the bread. Fry on each side for several minutes until golden. Remove and drain on paper towel.

For the warm mustard dressing, bring a pot of water to the boil and reserve to the side. In a bowl placed over the pot of water, gently whisk the mustard, mayonnaise, and lemon juice for one to two minutes until warm. Place in a cream gun and charge twice with the nitrogen bulbs. Shake vigorously. Place this gun in the pot of warm water until ready for use.

To serve, place a slice of bread onto each plate. Spoon a generous amount of puree over the fried bread, generously top with the zucchini salad and then generously, just before serving, smother the salad with the warm dressing.

Learn how to cook with steam like Shannon at your local Miele Experience Centre. Book your spot in a complimentary cooking demonstration here.

A simple, seriously delicious vegetarian recipe that Shannon cooks for friends at home. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Lucy Feagins.

Start by steaming the zucchini. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Lucy Feagins.

We guarantee this is unlike ANY other bruschetta you’ve tasted. Photo – Eve Wilson. Styling – Lucy Feagins.