Courgettes Recipes

This year we decided not to grow too many courgette plants as we were inunated with them last year, so we have four plants in our garden. I have an excellent book on courgettes, but nevertheless am always searching for more recipes.  They are now growing very nicely and already we have picked about 4 of them.  

Here are some of the things that I like to make with courgettes. 

COURGETTE FRITTERS

These are lovely and so quick and easy to make. I like to serve them with some of my nice tomato and chilli jam that I made last year. This recipe was taken from Nigella Lawson's....Forever Summer, but there are so many different recipes for this and it can be easily adapted (as I have done) to suit your taste.

4 courgettes

5 spring onions, chopped

250g cheese (I used goats cheese, but Nigella uses feta)

small bunch of parsley, chopped finely

small bunch of fresh mint, chopped finely

1 tsp paprika

140g plain flour

salt and pepper

3 eggs, beaten

olive oil for frying

Grate the courgettes and lay on a tea towel for about 20 mins to get rid of excess wetness. 

Put the chopped spring onions in a bowl with the cheese.  Stir in the chopped parsley, mint and paprika.  Add the flour and season well with salt and pepper.  Gradually add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly before stirring in the drained, grated courgettes. 

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and drop heaped dessertspoons of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening the little cakes down with the back of the spoon as you go.  Cook these little patties for about 2 minutes each side until golden and then transfer to a plate. 

Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint.  Serve.

COURGETTE SOUFFLE

This is another favourite recipe of ours and often done when we have a lot of courgettes to use up!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
500g courgettes, finely sliced
50g butter
50g plain flour
250ml milk, heated
4 eggs separated into 3 yolks and 4 whites
55g cheddar grated
black pepper
butter to grease

Preheat the oven to 180c/350F/Gas 4 and grease one large souffle dish or 6 ramekins.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the garlic and courgettes.
Cook the courgettes gently, on a slow sizzle so they soften without browning.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they are completely soft and almost all of their water has evaporated (this may take up to 20 mins).  Then bash to a pulpy consistency with a wooden spoon or potato masher and set aside.

In a small pan, melt the butter and then add the flour.  Mix together, cook for 1 minute, then stir in the hot milk to make a thick bechamel, stirring continously to avoid lumps. 

Allow to bubble for just 1 minute (this ensures that the flour is cooked through) then remove from the heat.

Add the bechamel to the courgettes, along with the egg yolks, cheese and a few twists of black pepper, and beat well to get a nice sticky mixture.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold carefully into the mixture.

Place into either the large souffle dish or the ramekins, which ever you intend using.

Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 mins for ramekins or up to 40 minutes for the large one.  Serve straight from the oven, without delay.

ROCKET AND COURGETTE SOUP

1 onion , finely diced Cook the onion gently in the olive oil or butter for 5-10 mins, until soft. Add the potato and cook for 5 mins, then add the courgettes, rocket, stock and plenty of seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 mins, until the courgettes feel soft. Whizz the soup in a blender, or use a hand blender, until smooth. Return to the pan and keep warm.

1 tsp olive oil or knob of butter
1 medium potato , finely diced
4 courgettes , grated or chopped
100g rocket , roughly chopped
850ml vegetable stock
8 thin slices baguettes
150g pack soft goat's cheese

Toast the baguette slices, spread each with a little goat's cheese, then grill if you like, or serve as it is with the soup.

This soup can be frozen, which is what I generally do with a glut of courgettes and rocket, but freeze without the baguette slices and goats cheese.  Yummy!

COURGETTE AND TOMATO SOUP

I make this soup every year, varying it slightly each time and freeze most of my soups so we can have soups for lunch throughout the winter. There is no set ingredient list or quantities as I just seem to add whatever I think.  But you get the idea!

Fresh tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
Courgettes, grated
1 onion
1 Potato
Garlic clove
Salt and Pepper to taste
Tsp of chilli
Herbs, of our choice, chopped
Veg stock
Milk
Cream
Sugar

Pour boiling water over tomatoes and let stand for about 30 secs. Plunge in cold water and skin them.

Fry chopped onion and chilli in olive oil until soft. Add grated courgettes, garlic and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Pour in enough milk to cover the mixture….about an inch or so over. Add plenty of seasoning ( s and p) and about ½ teaspoon of sugar. Simmer until courgettes are soft.

Chop herbs and add to soup together with a good slug of cream/crème fraiche. Use blender to mix to a smooth texture or put through a sieve.

Seasoning is very important….don't skimp on it or you will have a very bland soup. Taste as you go along.

I add 1 or 2 handfuls of fresh herbs to get maximum flavour.

I sometimes use sweet peppers too…..depends on what I've got in the garden at the time!

RUSTIC COURGETTE, PINE NUT AND RICOTTA TART

2 tbsp olive oil
4 courgettes , thinly sliced 
2 x 250g tubs ricotta
4 eggs
large handful basil leaves , shredded
Grating of nutmeg
50g Parmesan, grated
1 large garlic clove , crushed
500g block puff pastry
dash of flour , for dusting
large handful pine nuts

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan. Sizzle the courgettes for 5 mins until golden around the edges, then set aside. In a bowl, beat the ricotta with the eggs, basil, nutmeg, half the Parmesan and the garlic. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rough round about 40cm wide, then transfer to a baking tray. Spread the pastry with the ricotta mix, leaving a 4cm border. Press the courgette slices into the ricotta, then scatter over the pine nuts and remaining Parmesan.

Bring the sides up over the edge of the ricotta, pinch to encase the filling, then bake for 30 mins until the filling is puffed up and golden. Leave to cool slightly and enjoy warm or cold with a crisp green salad.

COURGETTE, TOMATO AND CHEESE GRATIN

This is quite a handy thing to have in the freezer, I've recently done some of these and put in the freezer so that we can have later on.  I've cooked them, but not completely so that when I take them out, I can finish them off in the oven and they will thoroughly cooked and golden!

3 tomatoes , sliced

2 courgettes , sliced
100g cheese , grated

TOMATO SAUCE
1 garlic clove , sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
400g tomatoes
a handful basil leaves

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Make the tomato sauce by cooking the garlic in olive oil, then adding tomatoes and basil leaves. Simmer until thickened.

Divide the sauce between shallow gratin dishes. Arrange overlapping rows of tomato and courgette sprinkling some gruyère between them. Drizzle with oil, season and bake covered with foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

SPICY COURGETTE SOUP

25g/1oz butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
350g/12oz sliced courgettes
140g/5oz potato sliced
425ml/¾ pint chicken or vegetable stock
300ml/½ pint milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in pan, add onions and garlic. Cook gently for 5 minutes

Add cumin and coriander, stirring for a few minutes.

Add courgettes, potato, stock and milk. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 15mins or until soft.

Leave to cool, then liquidise until preferred consistency.

I tend to make this and freeze so that we have soup in the freezer for our winter lunches.  Make sure it is cold before popping into containers and then freeze.

COURGETTE AND SMOKED SALMON QUICHE

Line a quiche/flan dish with pastry - OK, I cheated and used some that I had bought, but if you've got the time you can make your own!

Bake the pastry 'blind' for about 10 mins, whilst this is cooking, chop up an onion and fry in a little oil, then take 1 large courgette and chop and then add this to the onion and saute for another 5 mins or so, add some salt and some pepper, and a little fresh thyme. 

Once the pastry case is cooked, add your onions and courgettes into the flan dish, then lay pieces of smoked salmon over the top of this.  In a bowl, beat 2 large eggs and some creme fraiche together, pour this over the mixture and then top with some grated cheese.  Cook in the oven until golden!