Courgettes don’t have to be cooked! Chop and serve as crudités with a spicy salsa dip or slice them thinly and toss in lemon zest, olive oil, chilli flakes and mint, for a stylish courgette carpaccio.
Avocado Smash with Carrot and Courgette Dippers
recipe suggestion can be found here
2. Buy the best
Choose firm courgettes with dark glossy skins and remember, the smaller the courgette, the bigger the flavour. They have thin and fragile skins, so don’t be put off by a few blemishes.
3. Match your flavours
Courgettes have a delicate taste so pair well with stronger flavours. Try them chopped and dry-fried with curry spices such as cumin and turmeric, or match them with punchy capers, anchovies and tangy sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Do the prep
Salting and rinsing your courgettes before you use them is the best way to avoid a mushy mess or diluted sauces, as it removes excess water. Chop your courgettes and place in a sieve over a large bowl or saucepan. Salt, and then leave for 20 minutes. Rinse, pat dry with kitchen paper and you’re good to go.
5. Up your 5-a-day
Sometimes, we all struggle to eat our 5-a-day, (whereas others eat more). You can boost your veggie intake by adding sliced courgette to Bolognese, lasagne or chilli con carne. Make sure you follow tip four, as it will help the courgettes absorb all the flavours in the sauce.
Spinach and ricotta lasagne with courgette pasta
see recipe here
6. Try veggie pappardelle
If you’ve got a penchant for pasta but need a summery alternative then look no further than courgettes. Grate into chunky ribbons using a julienne peeler, discarding the seeds, and then fry in garlic or chilli oil until soft. Mix with a sauce of your choice and dig in.
If you’ve got a penchant for pasta but need a summery alternative then look no further than courgettes. Grate into chunky ribbons using a julienne peeler, discarding the seeds, and then fry in garlic or chilli oil until soft. Mix with a sauce of your choice and dig in.
7. Pick ’n’ mix
Courgettes come in all shapes and sizes. Regular green courgettes taste great in risottos, soups and gnocchi, while baby courgettes are delicious left whole and roasted with chilli and rosemary, until tender. Look out for globe courgettes too, available in some stores.
8. Eat the flowers
Typically found on swish restaurant menus, courgette flowers are a gastronomic delight. Try stuffing them with ricotta, then dip the flowers in tempura-style batter made with flour, salt and sparkling water, and deep-fry for a crispy finish.
If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.
Most words and pictures above taken from article here
All the best Jan
17 comments:
This post is wonderful for me! My husband and I grew cocozelle zucchini this past summer, and they were very tasty! Funny thing, we had a very bad drought and we only got two of them! Still, they were very good! Hope to get rain next year and I will come back to this post! x
P.S. So funny how you say courgette and we say zucchini... potato, potahto! HA!
Fabulous post as I am an organic gardener and just planted my second crop of the season.
Living in Texas we have two growing seasons.
I am pinning these lovely recipes to my vegetable board on Pinterest.
Thanks for sharing.
Jemma
my sis loves zucchini. she loves the dehydrated chips.
Another tasty post, Jan and also beautiful to look at!
I tend to always leave your blog hungry:}
Have a Lovely Saturday~
Love zucchinis Jan, always a regular on my grocery list.. and now fennel as well, so good, both just as tasty raw!
All these are so plentiful at the grocery store now, thanks for these luscious tips Jan!
Some great ideas there with what I consider a rather tastelesss veg. Must try harder, maybe with that lasagne and courgette pasta? Thanks for the information again. I hope everyone reading your blog is trying some of your ideas and tips Jan.
I must admit that we haven't eaten courgettes so much this year. We were always overrun with them when we had the allotment but they're a vegetable I don't tend to buy often.
great suggestions, i would love the dip!!! i like this sautéed with garlic, evoo and yellow squash, that's how i always make it!!!
I just picked a bunch more zucchini from the garden and was just thinking what to do with it. I can just make so many loafs of bread. Thanks for these ideas. I can't wait to try number 6.
Utilizo muito na minha alimentação os corgetes.
Um abraço e bom fim-de-semana.
Andarilhar
All looks good, Jan.
Oh my, Jan! You have got some delicious stuff here!
I had never heard of the prep tip before, (#4) I will have to try and remember that, I also love bread made with it, mmmm good!
Hope you are having a great weekend!
I did not know about salting them. Thanks for the tip.
Such a great post. Lots of good stuff in it. I had no idea about the salting!
I have made cakes with courgettes in them and have hidden them in all grated up in shepherds pie.
Lisa x
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