2012 Ingredient of the Week 2: Courgettes

The Hill Billy

Happy Monday everybody!

This week, we're looking for your courgette/zucchini-related recipes.

tHB

Dizzyblonde

I use courgettes mostly for my version of ratatouille, which I often use to make a veggie lasagne. I don't use aubergine but use mushrooms instead.


2 courgettes
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
a couple of handfuls of mushrooms
2 onions
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
salt & black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried basil
Half a teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (optional)
Olive oil
Tin of tomatoes

Dice the veg and slice the onions and mushrooms. Saute onions in oil until soft. Add courgettes and fry for a while then add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Throw in everything else and simmer gently for at least an hour so the peppers are nice and soft.

It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, and freezes very well.
For veggie lasagne I layer it up with pasta sheets and cheese sauce, and bake for about 40 minutes at 180C

LaChatteGitane

Fritters are easily adaptable depending on your mood or style of cuisine, by adding different spice mixtures.
Courgettes do not give you an explosion of flavour on their own, so they do need a kick up the backside from time to time.

Ingredients

• 2 green courgettes and 1 yellow, grated
• salt
• 1 small onion, grated
• parsley, chopped
• tiny green or red chilli, finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• plain flour, 2 to 3 heaped tbsp
• corn flour, 1 heaped tbsp
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• sunflower or olive oil

Preparation

• Put the grated courgettes in a colander, sprinkle with some salt, put a plate over it with something heavy on top. Leave for 30 minutes standing in your (clean) sink. This is to draw excess water out of the courgettes. If you omit this step, your fritters will turn soggy quickly.
• After about 1/2 hr squeeze some more of the water out of the courgettes and toss them into a bowl with all the other ingredients, except the oil.
• Give it a stir with a wooden spoon.
• Heat some oil in a frying pan (a non stick works best for this)
• With a large spoon bring about four dollops of the mixture into the pan (depending on the size of your pan, more or less dollops)
• Press them down slightly, frying them over medium heat.
• Turn them over and fry on the other side till golden.
• When they are ready, drain on kitchen paper and repeat the process with the rest of the mixture and keep the others warm in the meantime.

Variations

Mexican style Add sweetcorn, chopped red pepper, ground cumin, chopped coriander, chilli powder .....

Indian style Replace flour with chickpea flour, add grated ginger, ground coriander, fresh coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, garam massala.....

Dizzyblonde

They look delicious, I'm going to try them. I have some courgettes from the garden and am looking for something new to do with them

all_smilz

ooooh COURGETTE LINGUINI
not a dish per se but SOOOO good... Use a veggie peeler and peel the courgette ( I am a bit obsessive and love to try to get a sliver of green/yellow on all the bits but thats just me!
Sprinkle with tbsp salt and toss - cover for ten mins, Rinse and then basically plop into boiling water for a minute! Serve with Chicken, fish, meat and pasta style sauce!

LaChatteGitane

When they start growing, they won't stop. I have a problem with picking them before they get too big and then finding interesting ways to prepare them so we don't get bored with eating courgettes every single day during summer ;-)

It is no hardship as we like courgettes.

An easy to make and delish stand-by, these griddled beauties, for salads, on bruschetta, on pizza, in quiche or omelette, on your cheese sarnie, in a pasta dish and they make a nice change in a moussaka. Do I need to say more ? Very versatile.

Ingredients quantities are approximates

• medium sized green and yellow courgettes, 1 of each
• 1 medium patty pan squash or 2 smaller ones (I used the white variety)
• coarse seasalt
• freshly ground black pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• handful of freshly chopped mint
• olive oil
• sunflower oil

Preparation

• Slice the courgettes lengthways, 1/2 cm thick
• Put the patty pan flat on the work surface and slice vertically, into 1/2 cm discs
• Bring all the slices into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, toss them around, so the courgettes are all slightly coated.
• Use a griddle pan (is not a necessity, but makes it look nicer) and let it get rather hot.
• Griddle the courgettes a few at a time on both sides
• When cooked through, bring them into a bowl

• 
  
• Squeeze a little lemon juice over the courgettes, a sprinkle of salt, black pepper and a drop of olive oil.
• Finish all the sliced courgettes like this, but beware of too much salt.
• Add the mint and toss.
• Adjust the seasoning and lemon juice to taste
• It can be kept in the fridge for a good couple of days, but you then need to cover with sunflower oil (don't use olive oil for this as it will be too bitter)
• 
  

fitzcoff

I have posted this in another thread on chutneys, both of them all delicious


Sweet Courgette Relish
Not really a chutney but lovely on brown bread with cheese or on a burger.

900g(2lb) finely chopped courgettes
1 large onion finely chopped
500ml (16 fl oz) cider vinegar
350g (12oz) granulated sugar
2tsp english mustard powder
1tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp coriander seeds

Put courgettes and onions in a large saucepan and and pour over cider vinegar, stir to mix.
Add sugar, mustard powder, turmeric, chilli flakes, cornflour, and coriander seeds and stir over a gentle heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil . reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 40 mins- 1 hour.
Pour into sterlised jars and leave for a month to mature, keep in the fridge after opening.

another one that I like to make is
http://neckredrecipes.blogspot.ie/20...-zucchini.html

livinsane

My sister makes a beautiful sweet courgette bread. Here is a link to the recipe (it's in cups sorry):

http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.ie/2009/02/healthy-applesauce-zucchini-bread.html

My sister uses half the sugar and it is plenty sweet. Absolutely divine.

Here is an article on cooking with courgettes, with both sweet and savoury recipes:

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/08/twenty-zucchini-recipes-for-sneak-some.html

Dizzyblonde

fitzcoff wrote: »

Sweet Courgette Relish

I made some this afternoon! The hard bit will be leaving it alone for a month

fitzcoff

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I made some this afternoon! The hard bit will be leaving it alone for a month

I can never leave for a month, usually end up opening a jar within a few days. I love it with fresh homemade brown bread and slices of cheese. Or even in a toasted ham sandwich.

faigs

How many jars would this recipe fill?

faigs

This recipe looks good and includes 2 courgettes

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/665639/courgette-ham-and-ricotta-tarts

Dizzyblonde

faigs wrote: »

How many jars would this recipe fill?

I got 4 jars.

EZ24GET

Zucchini/ courgette Lasagna

2 tablespoons oil (30mL)
1 pound lean ground beef (500g)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
14 ounces can spaghetti sauce ( 398 mL)
5 1/2 ounce can tomato paste (156 mL)
2 eggs
8 ounces 2% fat cottage cheese (250 mL)
3 medium zucchini/ courgettes sliced
2 tablespoons flour (30 mL)
8 ounces mozzarella cheesem grated ( 250 mL)
1/3 cup bread crumbs (75 mL)

Brown ground beef in skillet until no longer pink. Add onions and garlicand cook until onions are translucent. Drain off excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce and tomato paste. Bring to a boil: reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix eggs and cottage cheese,
Lightly grease an 8x12 baking pan (20x 30 cm). Layer half of the zucchini/ courgette slices. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon (15mL) flour. Put in layer of egg and cottage cheese mixtureOver cheese and egg mixture layer rest of zucchini/courgettes, then Sprinkle with rest of the flour. Next layer in the meat mixture. Cover with foil.
Bake at 325*F. (160* C.) for 1 hour, or until zucchini/courgettes are tender.
Meanwhile combine mozzarella and bread crumbs. Take lasagna from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Return to oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Note- I did not make the changes to mL and am not familar with using that measurement as I grew up using cups and ounces, if something doesn't sound right to you then use your own judgement, I was just trying to be helpful. This really is tasty and easy to make.

The Sweeper

Holy courgettes, there are at least three recipes on this thread that have immediately gone into the 'omg I'm trying that' pile, and trust me I NEVER buy courgettes, because the only thing I ever cook them in is ratatouille.

pickarooney

Courgette and goat's cheese soup.

Peel courgettes.
Boil courgettes in a tiny bit of water.
Mash courgettes and mix in creamy goat's cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Minder

I usually go to the British Larder if I need a recipe idea for an ingredient. Here is the list of recipes for courgettes Of this list, I've tried the Spiedini Toscana and the Summer Salad with buffalo curd - both excellent recipes.

The other recipe I like to do using courgettes is a turkey & courgette meatball.

Use 300g of turkey mince, 1 large courgette grated, 3 spring onions, 1 egg, 2 cloves of garlic, fresh mint and coriander, ground cumin and seasoning.

Squeeze the grated courgette to remove some of the water, cut the onions into thin slices. Mash the garlic. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and season with salt & pepper. Form into meatballs and shallow fry until golden. Finish in the oven for 10 mins at 180c.

Serve with a yoghurt sauce - mix equal quantities of yoghurt and sour cream. Add chopped garlic and some lemon juice to taste. Add salt and sprinkle with sumac. Make the meatballs small and they're great in pittas or khobz with salad leaves and hot sauce.

livinsane

fitzcoff wrote: »

Sweet Courgette Relish
Not really a chutney but lovely on brown bread with cheese or on a burger.

Thanks for the recipe. I made it yesterday. Bought mustard instead of mustard powder [doh] so didn't add it, and threw in two fresh bay leaves.

Prepared ingredients:


After cooking for an hour:


Finished product (looking forward to opening in a few weeks...):