Courgettes and peppers with lyok dressing
This vegetarian dish is a fantastic way to turn a bounty of summer vegetables into a wonderful side dish or lunch.
Ingredients
For the lyok dressing
- 4 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- handful tarragon sprigs
- handful dill sprigs
- handful flatleaf parsley sprigs
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp honey or caster sugar
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the courgettes
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 courgettes, sliced into rounds
- 4 Romano peppers, seeds removed and chopped
For the cucumber yoghurt salad
To serve
- 1 block halloumi cheese
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 4 flatbreads
Method
To make the lyok dressing, chop the garlic and herbs together by hand, or pound them to a paste in a pestle and mortar, then mix with the vinegar, honey and seasoning to make the dressing.
To make the peppers, preheat your grill to high. Place the peppers on a tray and cook them under the grill until black all over. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover for 30 minutes, then peel off the skins. Remove the seeds and chop into pieces. Alternatively, you can blacken the peppers in a 200C/180C Fan/ Gas 5 oven for 20–30 minutes.
To make the courgettes, heat the oil in large griddle pan and griddle the courgettes on both sides until tender and golden. You could also grill or roast them if preferred. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl and pour over the lyok dressing while the vegetables are still warm.
To make the cucumber yoghurt salad, put the yoghurt in a large bowl and season well with salt, remembering that the watery cucumber will dilute the seasoning. Add the nutmeg and some black pepper too if preferred. Add the cucumber and mix well. This can be served straightaway, but it can also be made a few hours in advance.
Make sure the griddle pan is still hot. Oil the block of halloumi, then place on the griddle pan and cook on each side until charred – this will take about 6–8 minutes. Remove the halloumi and warm the flatbreads on the griddle pan for a minute. Slice the halloumi and serve with the courgettes and peppers, the cucumber and yoghurt and the flatbreads.
