Courgettes

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

I’ve been given some courgettes from allotment by my stepdad but unsure what to do with them. Normally they go in ratatouille, stir fry or courgette soup.

What else (simple) could I do?

Courgette fritters!

I freeze them raw and cook them from frozen in the air fryer.

Lots if great ideas to which I will add sliced in a stir fry. Delicious.

I grate them, cook them down with garlic and mix with cream cheese and black pepper for a pasta sauce. I sometimes chuck in some frozen peas.

I ate something along these lines on a trip to Italy almost 10 years ago and it was a revelation.

Follow up. On holiday at the moment and one of the offerings on last night’s menu was pasta with zucchini, mint and lemon. It was delicious. Coarsely grated zucchini, finely grated lemon and finely chopped mint.

Dice up a few zucchini. Put on the pasta water. You will need a pasta that can hold sauce - bows or orecchiette work well, but at a push, fusilli.

Sauté up some pancetta (or a little bacon), rendering the fat. When a little crispy, remove and save.

Add one or two bashed cloves of garlic and a generous pinch of chili to the pan - medium heat.

When the perfume releases, add the zucchini, salt and pepper - still medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook down. When it has cooked (about 10 mins) taste for heat and salt. If it is a little dry, add a spoon or two of the pasta water.

When the pasta is strained, add the bacon and zucchini and a little olive oil.

A generous grating of parmesan finishes it off nicely. Asiago works too and is less expensive. As does cheddar. Delicious and comforting.