Charred courgette, tomato & tahini stuffed pittas
Exactly what you want in this Summer heat
Soph here.
Not to state the obvious but it’s bloody boiling. On one hand, I am loathe to utter even an ounce of complaint as going out to dinner without a jacket is one of life’s brilliant joys, however being six months pregnant, I feel akin to an overheating battery. Whereas Rudy on the other hand has discovered the joys of the Ruskin park paddling pool - elite toddler life.
Today’s recipe is a perfect antidote to the heat. A fresh lunch that requires minimal time at the stove, charring some courgettes (these could even be done the night before).
When the weather is like this, all I really want is tomatoes (kept out of the fridge ALWAYS), and eaten at any point of the day for a burst of acidity and freshness. So naturally they’re part of this meal.
You’ll note that it is a solo win, as Adam is working a lot with the guys at Mob at the moment, writing loads of banging recipes that I’m sure will become household faves whilst I take charge of our summer catering with 5 upcoming weddings that we’re super excited about.
Wedding season is by far my favourite. I (weirdly?) LOVE all the logistics: making sure all the moving parts come together and then being in the kitchen, cooking up a storm with our talented, interesting chefs and then all our wonderful front of house freelancers, who are so shit hot at what they do and make for the best guest experience.
There is a huge amount of camaraderie in it all and a real sense of satisfaction watching our couples and their guests having the best day eating and drinking.
Amidst this, we’re planning for next year already and creating bespoke menus for new couples getting married. It’s funny, wedding catering wasn’t on our radar when we started Scramble, and now, through word of mouth recommendations it’s become one of our key business pillars.
I feel like people are kind of done with more outdated styles of wedding food and are in the market for banging sharing style eating. Which is exactly what we do.
In other news, I have attended two inspiring and delicious evenings recently. One by Pillars, a new hospitality community provoking lively and helpful conversation around industry questions and the other Her Table, a female focused networking space where the guest speaker Adrienne Adhami spoke about ambition.
What really resonated, is this idea that, as women, we still have a tendency to tame our ambition and describe what often took us lots of hard work, as luck. That, and there isn’t one definition of ambition and success. Ambition for you right now could be making sure you get more sleep, and if you achieve that you’re winning. Ambition looks different depending on which ‘season of your life you are in’ a concept that I really liked.
Anyway enough chat. Let’s eat.
Like all good recipes this came about because I had everything to hand in the kitchen and I was hungry.
Charred courgette, tomato & tahini stuffed pittas
Serves 1 (easily doubled)
Takes 15 minutes
1 courgette
good splash of olive oil
large handful of tomatoes - cherry or bigger work
handful of mixed herbs - I had parsley and dill
1 spring onion
pinch of chilli flakes
good splash of pom molasses or use some more lemon if you don’t have
2 heaped tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon
sesame seeds (optional)
pitta bread, to serve
Cut the courgette into diagonal rounds, around 1.5cm thick. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat, drizzle in some oil, add the courgettes in a single layer, season and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until evenly golden brown.
Meanwhile roughly chop the tomatoes and herbs of your choice (chop the stalks too if not woody), finely slice the spring onion (both green and white parts). Mix together with the chilli flakes, pom molasses, a splash more olive oil and season to taste.
In a separate bowl, stir the tahini with the lemon juice, adding enough cold water to make into natural yogurt consistency. Season to taste.
Spread the tahini onto a plate, top with the courgettes, tomatoes and then some sesame seeds if you like. Eat, stuffed into pitta. Boom.
Since Pops and I have been on our walking holiday in Portugal - hiking The Fisherman’s Trail for anyone who is keen, I have become OBSESSED with the Magnum Utopia Double Hazelnut. Now available in Tesco Express and Sainsburys... Just saying
