I was shot in San Francisco

Ah, what lovely round hills you have… what wonderful farmer’s markets… what singularly wacky, fascinating, witty people… sigh.

I’ve been shot through the heart, with an arrow, of love. Also, I’ve been shot with a camera, by my editor/producer/dictator, Chris. We filmed material for 2-3 more episodes which are now in post-production, so I’m told. We recorded shows for Banitza and Apple Leek Risotto with Shrimp. Looking forward to showing those to you as soon as Chris is finished making me look like I know what I’m doing. It may take a while.

We also made Paella and bunches of Hummus. I gorged on savory crepes which were surprisingly abundant, as well as delicious Indonesian lemongrass noodles, and beautiful home-made Indian ice cream.

I’ve been in love since we visited San Francisco this past May, and I’ve been bravely resisting the urge to drop everything and just move. We were there for a week, longer than previous visits, and had the chance to really experience the life, meaning excellent food, beautiful sights, stimulating conversation. Also… steep hills and carrying groceries home by hand which has a firming effect on the legs and posterior. Built-in exercise, granting the ability to eat more - yet another thing to recommend this city.

Beet, Baby Zucchini, Yogurt & Walnut Salad

Green, Buttery, Rich, Earthy, Caramelly

I find that I tend to come up with my favorite dishes when I’m too lazy to go to the store, and I have to come up with something tasty that can be made with the random ingredients I have lying around the house. This is how this ‘recipe’ came about. I had bought these beautiful little zucchini and used only half of them the day before and I didn’t want to let them sit in the fridge and go bad. I also wanted to make something light that would let their flavor shine trough.

This is fantastically, quick, simple and delicious and requires little use of the stove, which is handy when you’re living in Vegas and it’s 120 degrees outside. I used baby zucchini, but you can use really fresh fully-grown zucchini, or little pattypan squashes instead if you prefer.

You will also need

• some walnuts, chopped, or crushed in a mortar if you’ve got it, crushing them seems to improve the taste somehow
• sliced cooked beets, mine were from a can, I’m not ashamed
• some good quality yogurt, preferably Greek or Bulgarian
• a couple of cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper
• chopped fresh dill if you have it
• some olive oil for drizzling

Preheat a non-Teflon pan, stainless steel is what I’ve got, while you slice your zucchini into halves (or into smaller bits if you’re working with bigger squashes), then place them cut-side down in the hot pan (no oil) and let them cook until they start to smell nutty, or start to brown. I wasn’t keeping track, but I think it took 2-3 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and toss them around a bit so the backs get some heat too, sprinkle with salt and let them sit while you prepare the dressing. Mince the garlic into the yogurt and stir in the dill, add salt and pepper to taste. On your serving plate, arrange the zucchini, and the sliced beets, drizzle on the yogurt, top with the walnuts, drizzle with the olive oil and eat!