SUMMER ON YOUR PLATE

Summer on your plate

There is nothing better than to enjoy tasty food prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients. Summer gives us so many options and varieties when it comes to vegetables and fruit, as a great base for a light summer lunch or dinner. I got some fresh cod fish at the Saturday morning market and I had some turkey breast waiting for me in the kitchen, therefore I decided to prepare a light meal of both – they fit nicely together. 

COD FISH & TURKEY STEAKS WITH NATURAL RICE, YELLOW ZUCCHINI AND TZATZIKI SALAD

300g fresh turkey steaks

300g fresh cod fish fillet

1 large yellow zucchini

2 carrots

6 spring onions

1 cucumber

1 lemon

2 – 3 garlic cloves

fresh herbs – rosemary, sage, oregano, tarragon

2 cups of natural rice

150g  plain yoghurt

olive oil

butter or ghee butter

salt

pepper

Preparation time 30 – 40 minutes

Rice:

Melt 1 teaspoon of butter or ghee butter in a small pot. Add 1 cup young onion and carrots, stir for 2-3 minutes. Add natural rice and stir well again for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and add water – 2 cm above the rice (you may also use chicken/vegetable stock). Wait until it starts to boil, then lower the temperature, cover with lid and let it cook for 25-30 minutes on low heat. The natural rice needs aprox. 10-15 minutes longer than standard white rice to cook well. When cooked, turn off the heat, stir and let it cool with the lid on.

Zucchini:

Cut the zucchini into quarters, then cut out the soft middle part with seeds (not necessary if they are not too hard – it is mainly done because of the high level of water in the middle part which can make the zucchini soggy in the grilling process), cut into nice half moon shapes. Add olive oil and a bit of butter into the pan,  add spring onions and zucchini once the pan is hot. Stir over and over and add salt and pepper. You want to end up with lovely pan baked zucchini - kind of grilled. Easy and tasty side dish, ideal for fish & meat. Preheat the oven to 40 grades Celsius to keep the zucchini warm.

Meat:

Use two grill plates. The only difference between fish & turkey preparation is mainly in the herbs added. If you have time, you may marinate the turkey in a mixture of salt and pepper, crushed garlic, spring onion, rosemary and oregano marinade. Mix with your hands and leave covered in a cold place for at least 30 minutes. But you may also do it without marinade. Just sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat and grease the pan with olive oil or ghee butter. Add herbs, garlic and onion to the hot pan to build a base for the meat. Ad turkey at the end and grill aprox 2 - 3 minutes on each side (turkey steak max 3 cm thick). When ready, place the turkey next to the zucchini into the oven – the meat needs to rest in a nice warm temperature for a few minutes to be ready. Get the fish ready in the meantime!

The preparation is a bit easier with the cod fish. Just sprinkle fresh salt (pepper is optional) over the fillet and squeeze fresh lime juice over it. Heat up olive oil mixed with herbs – sage, tarragon, add garlic, spring onion (you may also use slices of lemon – I like this option a lot!) to get the base. Make sure the pan gets nicely hot. Then grill fish from both sides – at most 2 minutes on each side. Careful – fish gets dry easily!

Salad:

Cut cucumber into small pieces and place into the bowl, add plain white yoghurt, 1 clove of crushed garlic (depending how much garlic you like in your food – you may use less or even more), salt, pepper, 2 tea spoons of olive oil. Give it all a nice toss. 

Well and that’s it! Serve with love and enjoy pure summer on your plate. Bon Appetit!