Steemit Iron Chef 2017 #04: Vertical Courgette Salad with Arugula Vinaigrette, Courgette Crackers and Courgette Blossoms

Courgette Salad with Arugula Vinaigrette, Courgette Crackers

and Courgette Blossoms

That's a lot of courgette! Also known as zucchini, courgette is the theme for Week #04 of Steemit Iron Chef 2017. I chose to make a salad with an arugula vinaigrette dressing. It is served with courgette crackers and a chiffonade of courgette blossoms.

It starts with the arugula dressing ...

Followed by the courgette crackers ...

Ready for dehydration ...

Slice after 2 hours of dehydration. Dehydrate for another 12 hours or until dry.

The salad is topped with courgette blossoms.

The slicing technique called chiffonade works perfectly well for garnishing the salad.

The salad can be served with the courgette top.

Or without ...

I forgot to take a photo with my name and the date so I had to re-plate!

My entry for Week #04 of Steemit Iron Chef ...

Thanks again to @progressivechef, all the sponsors and all the other contestants and viewers of this wonderful culinary challenge!

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Courgette Salad with Arugula Vinaigrette, Courgette Crackers and Courgette Blossoms

Ingredients

Courgette Salad with Arugula Dressing

6 - 8 courgettes
1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped

Arugula Dressing

1/2 cup arugula, packed
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar, optional

Courgette Crackers

3/4 pounds courgette
1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup water

Courgette Blossoms Garnish

2 pieces courgette blossoms

Directions

For the courgette salad:

Slice courgette into 1/8-inch discs. Set aside.

Prepare an ice bath. Set aside.

Blanch arugula in hot water for 1 minute. Drain then put arugula in ice bath. Leave for a few minutes to cool. Drain well.

In a blender, combine arugula and the rest of the ingredients. Drain (optional) and set aside.

For the courgette crackers (Make at least a day in advance):

Put walnuts in food processor. Process until walnuts are chopped into fine pieces. Transfer to a bowl.

Slice courgette into 1-inch chunks. Put in food processor and chop into very small pieces.

Combine courgette and the remaining ingredients with the walnuts. Mixture should be spreadable. If too dry, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Spread on a dehydrator sheet or on a sheet pan.

Dehydrate in dehydrator or in an oven at 140^oF or at the lowest temperature. After 2 hours, take the sheet pan out of the dehydrator/oven and slice cracker dough into desired shape. Continue dehydrating for another 10 - 14 hours or until dry.

For the courgette blossoms chiffonade:

Slice courgette blossoms thinly.

Assembly

Dip a courgette disc in the salad dressing. Lay on serving dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of chopped hazelnuts. Repeat the process until you reach the desired height. I prefer staggering the discs rather than lining them up nicely.

Drizzle more dressing if desired.

Serve with a slice or two of the courgette crackers and garnish with courgette blossoms chiffonade and leftover chopped hazelnuts.

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Happy cooking and eating!