Hasselback Courgettes on Tahini Sauce

Hasselback Courgettes on Tahini Sauce – a dish which is savoury, fruity, aromatic and bright. And seriously, SO DELICIOUS! Beautifully caramelised, golden browning crispy on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside, these hasselback courgettes are treat on any day. If you think that courgettes are bland, this may be the recipe that changes your mind. This dish is packed with Middle Eastern flavours and screams deliciousness all the way through. These courgettes taste great to eat on their own, and serving them on top of the creamy tahini sauce elevates them to the next level.

Hasselback roasted courgettes is one of those side dish or even main dish recipe you’ll be glad to have in your back pocket for busy weeknights as it’s easy to prep, tastes divine, and is pretty much foolproof.

Courgettes has a very mild flavour than a lot of vegetables, which means they are a versatile vegetable that can be served with a range of meals. Roasting intensifies the natural flavours of the courgettes and when they come out with crispy golden edges and soft insides one just can’t resist. Drizzling it with high-quality olive oil, mixed herbs, lemon zest, coarse salt, and freshly ground pepper certainly packs them with a lot of flavour.

What is Hasselback?

Hasselback potatoes was created by a trainee chef at Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm somewhere in the 1940s. This technique looks very impressive, but is surprisingly easy to do; it’s a great way to add a little extra flair to your favourite veggies and meats.

As a technique, hasselbacking is nothing new. It is a cooking method in which vegetables or meat are sliced not-quite-all-the-way through in thin, even layers, which can then be stuffed or topped with additional flavourings. It’s a way of enhancing the flavours and creating additional texture.

Tips for Cutting and Cooking Hasselback Potatoes

• Any courgettes are good, but the small and young tender ones work the best.
• Slice straight down into the courgette, about ⅛ ” to ¼ ” thick, but stop just short of cutting all the way through. I use chopsticks for slicing my courgettes, by placing them on both sides of the courgette to keep the knife blade from cutting through. try to keep the bottom intact. But if it breaks, its okay. We can make bite size pieces to eat.
• Make your slices as thick or as thin as you like.
• Brush the courgettes with herbed olive oil mixture. Bake it, then halfway through brush with more oil. 
• That second application of oil is key. Halfway through cooking, the courgettes start to fan out giving you space to coax some butter down into the nooks and crannies, plus the second coating ensures crispy perfection.

Tahini Sauce

Tahini sauce is popular throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Traditionally this simple, tangy, and flavour-packed sauce is made by blending rich, nutty tahini paste with lemon juice, fresh garlic, and a little bit of water to get the right consistency.

This tahini sauce recipe is rich, creamy, perfectly smooth, nutty and tangy. Its subtle garlic and chilli flavour enhances the toasted sesame flavour. The greek style yoghurt adds irresistible creaminess and makes it silky smooth. This sauce tastes divine with anything it touches.

Note : Use only a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Generally, tahini sauce should have a runny, salad dressing-like consistency as shown in the pic above. But for this recipe I prefer to have the tahini sauce a bit thicker.

Uses for Tahini Sauce

Generally speaking, tahini sauce complements other Middle Eastern dishes very well. Use it as a dip or pour it over a recipe as a sauce. It’s also lovely with fresh raw vegetables and other fresh herbs. Tahini sauce goes well with the following:

• Falafel Burgers
• Fresh vegetables – carrots, celery, cucumber, radish
• Roasted vegetables like carrots, aubergine, butternut squash.
• Flat bread or toasted pita bread.
• Used as salad dressing (thinned with water as necessary)
• Served as an appetiser with hummus or baba ganoush.

Helpful Tips and Tricks to make Hasselback Courgettes on Tahini Spread:

• Double this recipe if you’re serving a large number of people, it will be consumed fast!
• You can make this tahini sauce ahead of time, refrigerate in a tight-lid container for uptown 5 days.
• Season the courgettes before and after baking. Basting the courgettes with herbed olive oil before baking gives it an amazing burst of flavours. For bright, fresh flavours, toss it with a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Make it a main by serving it with some quinoa salad or toasted pita bread.

Afraid you’ll miss a post? Subscribe today and receive updates on new posts, and bonus recipes and information! Follow along on Instagram, Facebook , Tiktok and Pinterest for food inspiration and adventures.

.

Hasselback Courgettes on Tahini Spread

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

For the Hasselback Courgettes:

• 8-10 baby or young courgettes
• 2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tsp aleppo red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp dry mixed herbs
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• zest of ½  lemon

For the Tahini Spread:

• 1 cup tahini
• 2 tbsp greek style yoghurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• zest of ½ lemon
• 2 green chillies, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

method

For the Hasselback Courgettes:

1. Preheat the oven at 210ºC. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Wash and dry the courgettes with a kitchen towel. Slice crosswise cuts into the courgettes, about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick, carefully cutting nearly through but not all the way through the bottom. You can use chopsticks or skewers by placing them on both sides of the courgette to keep the knife blade from cutting through. Try to keep the bottoms intact. 
3. Place the courgettes on the sheet pan.
4. Combine the olive oil, minced garlic, aleppo chilli, mixed herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper  in a mixing bowl. Brush the oil over the courgettes. Season with little more salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the courgettes from the oven and bast it with more herbed oil. Bake it for another 10-15 minutes or until tender and lightly browned or caramelised. Courgettes varies so much in size, so bake them according to the size of your courgettes.
6. Spread the tahini sauce on a platter and careful place the baked courgettes on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some aleppo chilli. Garnish with fresh herbs.

For the Tahini Sauce

1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves with the salt into a paste (or mince the garlic and season with salt.) Do the same with the green chillies. 
2. Add the crushed garlic, minced green chillies, tahini paste, and lime juice to the bowl of a food processor and blend (it will be thick as it emulsifies.).  Transfer to a bowl. Add the greek style yoghurt, lemon zest, salt and pepper and mix  until you reach a creamy and smooth consistency. Add little water if needed to get the desired consistency.
3. Transfer the tahini to a serving bowl, and if you like stir in freshly chopped herbs. 

 

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!