Thousands of courgettes!

[storminabuttercup]

Im sure here was a thread on this last week but I can't find it.

I am getting a carrier bag full of courgettes every few days, they are growing at an alarming rate some have turned into marrows, we've had them in nearly every meal and I'm getting bored now! Had them in pasta, stirfrys, roasted etc

Another ideas of things that I could possibly freeze?

phylisstein the yellow ones are gorgeous!! more tender than the green and you can use them in the same way OR when they're VERY fresh and small you can quickly steam them whole and while warm put in a lemon,garlic and olive oil dressing with whatever herbs you like.

stormina You can also use the flowers for stuffing and quick deep frying . It's a bit fiddly though!

build a log cabin?

Cut them into slices and deep fry them in batter. Yum love courgettes. Offer them on MN . I'll have some!

Chop into tiny dice and saute in olive oil until v tender, add some chopped garlic and saute for a couple of mins.

Mix with some finely chopped spring onions, herbs (whatever you have - I use flat leaf parsley & basil), breadcrumbs, parmesan, egg. Season v well.

(Can't be specific about qty as it depends how many courgettes - I think I used 1 egg, handful each of breadcrumbs and cheese to about 5 courgettes).

Shape into little balls and put on a greased baking sheet then into oven at 180 for about 12-15 mins. Really nice with tomato sauce/salad/pasta (as veg 'meatballs') or as a nibble with drinks.

They also freeze perfectly - freeze uncooked then thaw before cooking. I was sceptical about whether they would freeze and also whether they would be good done in the oven vs frying but they are great and v easy to make. DD (2.8) loves them.

Also love these Courgette Mint & Feta fritters. Haven't tried to freeze them but reckon it's worth a try.

Grated into chocolate cake - even a packet mix cake is wonderful with a courgette grated in. All moist and delicious and almost healthy!

Have just finished a fab lunch based on courgettes, and it's a brill way of freezing them. Ratio of 1 tin toms to about 2 med courgette or 1 massive! Make as much as you can as it's a bit time consuming but freezes brilliantly and can be used as a tomato base for any dish.

Fry off an onion. Then add a couple tins toms in pan and bring to the boil. Add chopped garlic to taste (I also add black olive and sundried tomato tapenade - but is still lovely without). Good squeeze of tom puree, and 1/3 to 1/2 bottle red wine you could also add chilli flakes and whole olives at this stage if you like things a bit spicier. Do this on a day when you can just leave it to simmer away. Three or four hours or until it is really thick. This long slow cooking tranforms this from a bog standard ratatouille to somthing really mind blowing.

When it's ready get a hot deep fryingpan, v hot olive oil and add your chunky diced courgette or summer squash and really big chunks of different coloured peppers (about 2 whole peppers). Keep it moving, the pan will darken a bit but don't panic. The idea is to colour it and add some smoky flavour without cooking it. At this stage you could also add whole french beans (I have a massive glut of those too). As soon as it has coloured up, add a splash of balsamic to deglaze the pan, then turn the heat off. Tip the thickened tomato sauce in and stir together.

Either freeze as is in portions or add to cooked pasta and freeze. I had some on toast with a poached egg on top (one of the first from our newly acquired chickens, another taste sensation!!). It really has to be eaten to be believed how good all these really simple ingredients can be.

The biggest thing is to barely cook the courgette so that it remains almost crunchy. Lovely at the time and stops it from turning to mush when frozen and thawed.

Also in the oven for the last 15 mins of cooking a roast, big chunks on a metal tray generous knobs of butter, salt and white pepper, and fresh thyme. Again, out of this world.

I'm not v fond of courgettes but I made some fritters last night and they were gorgeous:-

Chop 2 courgettes finely (you can grate them but I hate grating!);
Stick them in a bowl with about 150g self raising flour and half to a whole packet of feta. You can add chopped spring onions but I hadn't got any!
Beat two eggs then mix into the courgette/flour/feta mix.
Add black pepper and chilli flakes.
Shallow fry small fritters- I could fit 4 small ones in my pan each time and overal this made 12 small delicious little fritters.

overall

Here you go tons of courgette recipes to keep you going.

I have made courgettes for the last three meals in a row here.

Creamy courgette pasta:

bag pasta, cooked as per packet
4 or so courgettes, grated
good amount chopped garlic (maybe 5 cloves)
1/2 box philly type cheese
6tblspns or so double cream
1tblspn dried parsley
plenty salt and pepper

fry courgettes and garlic in olive oil until soft and beginning to brown. Add cheese, seasoning and parsley. Stir about until cheese starts to melt. Add cream and mix until you get a saucy consistency. Mix through cooked pasta.

Courgette pissaladiere

Make a bread dough with 500gms flour.

Slice a large onion and fry in olive oil with about 5 cloves of chopped garlic, until soft. Roll the bread dough out flat to about 12 by 15 inches and spread the onions over it. Slice about 1lb of courgettes and lay the slices over the top of the onions. Top with dried rosemary, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Let rise for about 1/2 an hour or so then bake for about 1/2 n hour at 180. Take out, sprinkle with grated cheese and put back in oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Courgette frittata

Slice 3 decent sized courgettes, Chop an onion and a red pepper. Fry in olive oil until soft and beginning to colour. Pour into a lasagne dish and grate a couple of ounces of cheese over the top. Beat 9 eggs together and pour over the veg and cheese. Bake at 180 for 20-25minutes, until set and starting to colour. Leave in dish for 5 minutes or so, turn out and serve in slices. This is also very good cold in sandwiches.

All these serve 5-6 depending on age and appetite.

Ditto on:

• Fritatta
• Carbonara style pasta (Jamie has a recipe which is great)
• Add to curry/stir fry
• Soup (better than it sounds, just use plenty of potatoes/herbs/seasoning/creme fraiche or soft cheese to give it body)
• Fritters
• As a side veg with plenty of garlic, tomato and seasoning
• Ratatouille type affair with peppers etc and a yummy pork steak!

I add them to curries, pasta dishes, spag bol etc..
We also have courgette soup, courgette lasagna and I do a recipe from 'Economy Gastronomy' which is a big filo pie with courgettes, chickpeas for which I double the amount of courgettes that they suggest :)

Found this site yesterday which had some nice looking things on it..

www.courgetterecipes.co.uk

There is a lovely courgette cake in Domestic Goddess, that's where my allotment courgettes often end up. It is yum

Courgette soup is easy to make and freezes well.

The nicest way of cooking courgettes I know is to slice very thinly and cook very slowly in large pan with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until they have given up all their moisture and turned into a delicious soft mush. You must cook v slowly and stir a lot so they don't brown at all. Takes about 40 mins. The volume is greatly reduced and what's left freezes very well and then can be used as a basis for pasta sauce (add cream), in risotto or add stock and milk to make a soup.

George Eliot - I love the sound of that slow cook to mush idea... I am on a courgette soup making extravaganza today, but have more than I need for the amount of stock I have, so will be trying your lovely idea. Being able to freeze is such a bonus!

Thanks

i made a lovely courgette soup. 1lb of courgette, a large potato, (softened for 10 ish mins) add 2 stock cubes, and 2 pints of boiling water and 8 basil leaves (bit specific but it worked). when veg is softened in the water blitz and then add 4oz of cheddar cheese - it is delicious. i spent yesterday looking for courgette soup recipes and this was the easiest and it was really nice. my daughter ate it too but she hates veg :) good luck. by the way have you ever tasted raw courgette? it is gorgeous

Pickle them with herbs and oil. Or,
Don't wait til they have grown, pick the flowers, stuff with goats cheese, egg and breadcrumbs and then fry. Outrageously good. Probably too late for you this year I know. Try it next

don't let them grow full size. pick the flowers and the baby courgettes at the base of them (about 2in long). finely chop and add to any pasta sauce right at the end of cooking, or fry in garlic butter for just 2 min and use as a pasta sauce in its own right with a bit of grated cheese. by picking them small you get through many more courgettes, they taste much sweeter and you're eating something that can't be bought in the shops.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned Madhur Jaffrey's prawn and courgette curry, but its delicious, and freezes well.

Nigella's courgette cake.

My favourite soup is courgette and cashew.

I grate them into bolognese and chilli to bulk it out and get more veg into the kids.

I make soup with mine! Courgette and blue cheese soup. just cover sliced courgettes with water and boil, add a veg stock cube for flavour, some herbs and mild chilli powder. When cooked, blitz it all with a blender then add a block of stilton or other strong blue cheese and stir until melted. Gorgeous.

A friend has also suggested (for the marrow type ones) stuffing them with minced lamb, chopped tomatoes, onions etc, by scooping out the flesh and cooking all together, then spooning back in rind, and cooking for a while, then add grated cheese on top to finish off.

Enjoy!

can I have them?! I love courgettes! i'll pay!

THank you, thank you OP for starting this thread!
People have taken to hiding when they see me in case I insist they take some courgettes. I always plant a couple of extra seeds just in case they fail to germinate (has never happened) then I can't bear to throw the plants away. Everyone else has done the same so there are huge mounds of marrow sixed cougettes on each plot hoping people will take them.

I am far too tight thrifty to do that!
We are having a very heavily courgette based lasagna today.

I have to smuggle them into my daughter's kitchen and hope she doesn't notice waves!! Luckily DGS3 loves them but he is only 10 months old so a whole one the size of a mini-torpedo lasts him ages.

I'm going to try some of the recipes and also freeze the buggers.