Courgette Caviar Spread (Ikra) - Slavic style zucchini Spread
A sweet, rich vegetable spread made with summer vegetables such as zucchini/courgette and tomatoes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 80kcal
Equipment
- 1 large skillet or pan
Ingredients
- 550 g large Courgettes about 2 large
- 150 g large onion or 2-3 shallots
- 250 g carrots about 3 small carrots
- 400 g tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small chilli (optional, but really yummy)
- 2 bay leaf (optional but nice)
- 50 ml olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon oregano or thyme optional
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and garlic. Grate the courgettes, carrot and tomatoes.
- In a large pan add half the olive oil, the onion, carrots, garlic and chilli (if using)150 g large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 small chilli, 50 ml olive oil
- Cook over a medium heat for around 7 mins until the onions and carrots are softened.250 g carrots
- Add the courgette/zucchini and the grated tomatos. Mix well.550 g large Courgettes, 400 g tomatoes
- Cook for around 30mins. The courgette should start to collapse releasing all its juices, which you want to slowly cook off.
- Add in the bay leaf. Then, turn the heat down and sloooooowly cook. You want to caramelise the mixture, creating layers of flavour by teasing out all the natural sweetness of the vegetables.2 bay leaf, Salt and pepper to taste, 2 tsp oregano or thyme
- After around 20 mins, remove the bay leaf. It gives an extra layer of flavour, but more than that it turns into a slightly unpleasant & overpowering note.
- Keep cooking down the vegetables, maybe giving them an extra bit of help by bashing them a bit with a potato masher or a wooden spoon to help them disintegrate.
- Keep scraping down the pan, you want this to neaaaaarly catch, but not quite.
- After another 20 - 30 mins, depending on how juicy your tomatoes and courgettes were, you should have a lush, squishy, delicious paste.
- Add some salt to taste and you're done!
- This keeps in the fridge for a week or so, just like pesto. Or sterilise some jars and once filled with no air pockets, add a layer of olive oil, which 'seals' the mix, and you can eat it for longer! Or freeze in portions.
Notes
Use as a dip or spread, as part of a mezze or add to pasta like you would pesto.
Keeps for up to a week in the fridge or freeze in portions to eat over winter.
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4830IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg