If, like me, you have green-fingered friends or are a keen allotmenteer yourself, you are probably swamped by courgettes this month. Some even seem to grow as you watch them and if left unpicked for a day or 2 are soon as big as marrows. Here are some more ideas for enjoying them:
You don’t really need a recipe for this – just use your favourite foods and maybe a little imagination. The basic method is to cut the courgettes in half lengthwise, drizzle with oil and bake for about 10-20 mins (depending on size). Then fill with any of the following: bolognese or chilli mince, tuna, any rice or couscous mix, sausage meat and tomato, … You can add the scooped out courgette flesh and seeds for extra moisture. Top with breadcrumbs and/or cheese and bake for another 20mins.
Tip: if you are in a hurry, lightly cooked courgette halves in the microwave for a few mins, stuff and top with cheese, then grill to heat through and brown.
Then, follow with a moist
COURGETTE CAKE:
250g courgettes (weighed before grating)
2 large eggs
125 ml sunflower oil
150 g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Zest ½ lemon or lime
Heat oven to 180˚C, 160˚C (fan) or Gas Mark 4. Coarsely grate whole courgettes and turn into a sieve to remove excess moisture. Put oil, eggs and sugar into bowl and whisk them until creamy. Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and continue to whisk until well mixed. Stir in the grated courgette and pour mixture into 2 greased sandwich tins, about 20 muffin cases or a greased and lined 1kg loaf tin. Bake for 30-40 mins until firm to the touch and slightly brown (if baked in a loaf tin the cake will take about 1hr).
The cakes can then be drizzled with a lemon or lime syrup made with juice and granulated sugar or sandwiched together and iced with a lemon or lime frosting: mix 100g cream cheese, 50g sieved icing sugar and juice and zest of ½ lemon or lime.
VARIATIONS:
- sandwich together with chocolate butter cream icing.
- add 1 tsp cinnamon to cake mix for extra flavour