What to do with all those courgettes?

Pasta with mint and peas (from Bridgette)

Serves 4

  • 1 packet of pasta bows
  • 4 courgettes
  • A couple of handfuls of frozen peas
  • Some fresh chopped mint.
  • Parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta until al dente and while it is cooking fry sliced courgettes, when golden brown add peas and mint and then salt and freshly milled black pepper.  Drain the pasta and mix in the courgettes, mint and peas.

Serve with a green salad, garnished with nasturtiums and heartsease and pass round the parmesan.

Lemony Courgette and Poppy Seed Cake (from Kay)

The order in which you prepare the ingredients really matters here. Do the courgette, then turn on the oven, then measure everything else, and by the time it’s all ready, the courgettes should have given up a lot of moisture so that they aren’t going to make the cake impossibly soggy.

Heat oven to 180 degrees

Ingredients

440ml (or 1 and three quarter cups) courgette: grate it and measure it into cups or a jug before chucking it into a colander lined with kitchen roll to soak up some of the moisture, put another couple of sheets of kitchen paper on top, weighted down with a little plate or bowl, to take up more moisture.
Zest of a lemon and juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons poppy seed
280 grams (or 1 and a quarter cups) white sugar
250ml (or 1 cup) sunflower oil
3 eggs
230grams (or 2 cups) plain flour (I use half white, half wholemeal)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Method

Grease and base line a 9 x 13 inch cake tin.

In one large bowl beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and juice and poppy seed. When totally blended, shake the courgette off the kitchen paper and into the bowl and stir.

In a second large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Using a dry whisk incorporates a lot of air into the flour as well as mixing the raising agents thoroughly into the flour. Then gradually add this mixture to the other bowl, stirring it together, before pouring it into the cake tin.

Put in the middle of the oven for around 45 minutes. A toothpick or skewer should come out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

Leave for 5 minutes to cool before turning out onto a cake tray and peeling away the greaseproof liner.

I cut my cake in two, sandwiched the two halves together with plum curd and topped with icing sugar. Alternatively I would beat together cream cheese, icing sugar and a teaspoon of the remaining lemon juice and top the cake with that and maybe some walnuts, like a carrot cake.

It’s beautifully moist and dense without being soggy or chewy. I think yellow courgettes work particularly well for this recipe.

Courgettes Milano (from Melanie)

  • 30ml olive oil
  • 1/2kg courgettes, washed and cut into 1cm slices
  • 6 spring onions, washed and roughly chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 4 tomatoes skinned, seeded and chopped
  • 15ml tomato puree
  • 30ml white wine
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of paprika pepper dried or fresh basil and a bay leaf

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the courgettes, spring onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.  Stir in the remaining ingredients with seasoning to taste.  Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

To freeze: Cool quickly and pack into rigid containers.  Cover, seal and freeze.

To serve: cold – uncover and thaw at room temperature for 5-6 hours.

To serve: hot – tip the frozen mixture into a large saucepan and heat through gently, covered, stirring occassionally to separate the pieces of courgettes, for 30 – 40 minutes or until heated through.  Serves 4.

Courgette burgers – from Tessa

  • 12oz courgettes
  • 2 x 3 inch floury potatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 8oz feta – I use a lot less
  • mint
  • 1 egg

Grate courgettes, sprinkle with one level tsp salt , leave for one hour in non metal bowl. Squeeze out a lot of the resulting liquid using a tea towel. cook spuds and mash. chop onion and mint, mix with above and egg. shape into 6 patties and coat in flour. put in greased baking tray and brush with more olive oil. bake for 15 mins then turn over for another 15 mins ( turning them over means they are nice and crispy on both sides).

Courgette and Brie Soup (from The New Covent Garden Soup Book)

Serves: 6

  • 450g courgettes, sliced
  • 350g potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock
  • 225g Ripe Brie, rind removed and cut into chunks (actually I like it with the rind on – Mel)
  • Seasoning to taste

Put vegetables and stock into a large pan. Cover and bring to the boil then simmer gently for about 15 minutes until vegetables are just tender. Stir in the cheese and leave to melt. Once cool, puree soup and season to taste.

Courgette cake – from Tessa

  • 250 g grated courgette
  • 2 eggs
  • 125 ml sunflower oil
  • 150 g flour SR
  • 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
  • 1/2 baking powder

Mix ingredients, bake in an 8 inch cake tin for 35-40 mins at 160C. suggested additions- chopped up plain choc, very nice, cinnamon, lemon zest, orange zest 

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