Zucchini and Mushroom Stew

Nothing beats a quick dinner. On Sunday I had to go to work for the afternoon, and I needed to whip up something fast for the kids and my husband to eat. The base of the meal was supposed to be the mushrooms and zucchini that were waiting their turn in the fridge. And so this stew was born. It goes great with pasta or rice, but you can also eat it with mashed potatoes or simply with some delicious bread. My husband had it with a piece of fried salmon. Without the cream, olive oil and cheese, it works as a dish on the Dukan diet.

The recipe comes from the book "Das neue Kochbuch durchs Jahr", published by Stiftung Warentest.

Ingredients:

• 600 g medium-sized zucchini
• 300 g mushrooms
• 3 onions
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tsp curry powder
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 75 g Parmesan

Wash the zucchini, cut off the ends and dice them, not too small, but not too big either. Just perfect, like this :) Clean the mushrooms, cut off the stems and slice them. Peel and dice the onions.

Add the onions to a hot skillet with the olive oil and sauté for a moment, until translucent. Add the curry powder and fry for a moment, stirring constantly (but not for too long, because the curry will turn bitter). Gradually add the zucchini, and then the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Pour in the cream, stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve.

Tips:

For the kids I would make it without the curry, or add just a little, because it is quite an aromatic spice. You can also cook it longer if you want the vegetables to be softer.

Instead of Parmesan, I would use regular grated cheese.

This version with "regular" cheese may also appeal to the grown-ups.

Dukan dieters can use plain yogurt instead of cream and add it right before serving.