Peel those tiny onions for the best piccalilli.

Yet another courgette (zucchini) recipe! Why, you ask? It’s too early for garden glut. I have signed up for a veg box delivery service to help us eat more vegetables in the winter. There’s a couple of purple cabbage recipes on the way as well. Guess what there’s a lot of in the veg box – oh yes, courgettes.

This is a quick bread recipe, so raised with baking powder and baking soda, not yeast. I used buttermilk (full fat obvs) for my recipe but any fermented milk product will probably do the trick; Greek yoghurt, creme fraiche, sour cream. There’s no butter or oil in the recipe so it does need the fat from the dairy products to achieve a good texture. Keep an eye on consistency, I found this batter relatively dry. If yours is too dry to spread in the pans, thin it out with milk.

You can also be flexible with the herbs: I used dried basil and dried chives because that’s what I had in the cupboard. You can also try some garlic or add in a handful of finely chopped spring onions.

One ‘must’ with this recipe – use small (1 pound) loaf pans and line them with parchment or purchased paper liners. Otherwise – a sticky mess and possibly new pans in your future. Also, try disposable miniature loaf pans for single portions, reduce the cooking time. My recipe made 3 modest small loaves, you could possibly cram the batter into 2 small pans.

Let’s get cooking.

Recipe

Ingredients

450 grams of courgettes (2 medium)

1 tsp sea salt

125 grams of plain white flour

125 grams of whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tablespoons dried chives

2 tablespoons dried basil

150 grams cheddar cheese

3 large eggs

170 grams buttermilk (3/4 cup)

Instructions

1. Grate the courgettes, add the teaspoon of sea salt, stir through, put in a colander in the sink and drain out the liquid. Leave for at least 30 minutes. When you’re ready to cook the recipe, put the courgettes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Put to one side.
2. Preheat the over to 180C (350F). Needs a lower temperature and a longer cooking time to bake through.
3. Grate the cheese, put to one side.
4. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, remaining salt) until well combined.
5. Add the shredded courgettes to the dry ingredients, it should look like the individual shreds are coated with flour.
6. Add the basil and chives (and any other spices of your choice) and the grated cheddar, combine with your hands or a baking whisk.
7. Beat together the eggs and buttermilk, in a separate bowl.
8. Fold the buttermilk and eggs into the dry mixture. As with any quick bread – do not beat or overstir, just until its combined. Makes it tough.
9. Using your trigger scoop, fill your prepared pans about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If you’ve gone for fuller pans, line a baking sheet and put them on that. Unless you like cleaning your oven, you’ll be glad you did this.
10. Bake for an hour in the lower part of the oven, if using 1 pound loaf pans, 45 minutes if using smaller loaf casings. It seems like a along time, but it’s a thick batter and needs the time to cook through. If the tops look too brown, cover with a piece of foil but don’t undercook.
11. Cool completely before removing. Lovely with just butter. We also toasted and had with our boiled eggs in the morning.

Thank you for reading the blog and trying the recipes. Let me know how it went in the comments below or on social media @mamadolson on Twitter and Instagram.

We have been having a fabulous summer in England. One of those warm dry summers that appears about once every 20 years. The last like this was in 2003. It’s a little warm for some but it’s better than that August that I remember wearing a coat to the office or even last summer when I never bothered to put my cashmere sweaters away.

One consequence of such a glorious summer is, of course, still more courgettes (zucchini). Here is yet another courgette recipe. This one involves a lot of herbs to form a basis for pilau (pilaf you Americans) and then making it into a main course by breaking in some eggs. There is a lot of prep; you will be chopping and grating, but it does cook up in one pot. Some faff with ‘in and out’ of the oven to finish off but it was worth the work.

Here’s link to all my courgette recipes: 50 Ways to Use your Squash

A couple of very useful tools for this recipe: a handheld mandolin, a mezzaluna and a large shallow enamelled cast iron skillet with a lid – le Creuset or similar. This recipe makes a nice lunch for four, maybe not enough protein for some. I make it and do the eggs separately so that the leftovers keep nicely. Easy to make a vegan version of this recipe with a couple of little tweaks and substitutions.

Let’s get cooking.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 80 grams (3 ounces) mixed green leaves by preference sharper such as watercress, rocket and spinach
• 1 green chilli, sliced with seeds left inside(handle with care, see below)
• 2 medium courgettes, coarsely grated
• 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander (cilantro) (1 tablespoon dried)
• 50 grams (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), trimmed, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons nigella seeds
• 40 grams (1/3 cup) raisins
• 300 grams (1 1/4 cup) basmati rice
• 650 mls (2 3/4) vegetable stock (watch out here if you’re doing a vegan version, not all stock cubes are suitable)
• 4 eggs
• 10 grams flaked almonds
• greek yoghurt (full fat) and extra coriander to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
2. Rough tear the green leaves into a bowl.
3. Put on gloves or coat your hands in olive oil, then carefully remove the top of the green chilli, cut in half and then slice as thin as you can. Add to the bowl of green leaves. Wash your hands. Be very careful not to touch your face.
4. Grate the courgettes, add to the vegetable bowl.
5. Chop the coriander with the mezzaluna (I find it very therapeutic, back and forth, back and forth, etc) Here’s a very short video on ‘how to mezzaluna’. Throw the chopped coriander in with the greens.
6. Get your large shallow oven proof skillet on the hob. Melt the butter, add the olive oil. If you’re doing a vegan version omit the butter. Why combine butter and olive oil? Partly for taste but also because the butter keeps the oil from splattering. Using a knife or your hand held mandolin, finely slice your spring onions into the butter & oil.
7. Soften the spring onions for just a minute or so, then throw in the raisins, nigella seeds and the dried herbs (coriander, cumin, cardamom). Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
8. Add the bowl of green leaves and vegetables. Cook over medium heat, up to ten minutes, allowing the vegetables to shed some water and reduce in volume. Grind over some salt and pepper.
9. Add the rice, stirring to coat and incorporate with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock (I use Knorr jelly bouillon but then I make a lot of soup and stew). Stock cubes or stock pots are good. Check for ‘vegan friendly’ if you’re trying for a vegan version.
10. Bring the mixture to a bubble, put the lid on and slide it in to the oven. Leave undisturbed for 25 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, take the lid off. Make four spaces for the eggs in the mixture. Break in the eggs, sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Leave for longer depending on how firm you like your eggs.
12. Serve with greek yoghurt and extra chopped coriander. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading the blog and trying the recipes. I promise the next recipe will be on something other than courgettes!

I stumbled across this ‘recipe’ the other day and it’s so simple and so good that you wonder where has it been all your life. Let me sum up – baste slices of courgette (zucchini you Americans) or aubergine (eggplant again for los Americanos) with olive oil and herbs and spices of your choice, throw on a hot grill, turn over, remove and eat.

I had tried different ways to cook courgettes on the grill as we (well the Davinator) often cooks over naked flame in the summer time. We have actually had a summer this year, some warm dry weather, rising to high 30s (38 = 100C) for two days. I tried courgette kebabs, making courgettes into ribbons and threading on kebabs – producing okay outcomes but nothing as lovely and simple grilling them.

We served these to some family members (2 of our grown children and their partners) and they gobbled them up so I’m claiming universal appeal. Five minutes of prep, 10 minutes on the grill and you’re ready to eat. Surprisingly – these did not stick to the grill either. ‘Cook until soft’ says the Davinator.

Recipe – generous for two people

Ingredients

• Olive oil (use the good stuff)
• salt
• pepper
• a small bunch fresh parsley or coriander (cilantro)
• substitute any herbs that you like, fresh or dried
• one large or two medium courgettes

Method

1. Find a flat bottomed dish, coat the bottom generously with oil, add salt, pepper and your choice of fresh or dried herbs and stir in.
2. Top and tail the courgettes. Slice lengthwise, about 1/2 to 1 cm thick. As you slice them, lay them in the dish, turn over and stack to one side. When all sliced and in, turn them all over a couple of times, cover the dish with cling film and carry it out to the grill.
3. Place on a hot barbecue, give them approximately 5 minutes per side on the high heat. You might want to pick them up and move them to keep them from burning. When they are soft and golden, they are ready to eat.

You can do the same with aubergine and if you have some beefy tomatoes, slice those and try them alongside.

Thank you for reading the blog and cooking the recipes. Leave comments and tag me if you’re cooking them, @mamadolson on Instagram & Twitter.

It’s that time of year – the garden plot is producing in abundance. Courgettes (zucchini) are always reliable, productive and seemingly disease resistant, at least in my garden. Here’s a link to 50 Ways to Use Your Squashes for ways to deal with the glut that that often results. One of the easiest is to oven roast them. Roasting has the benefit of helping you use up what ever excess you have in the garden or the refrigerator, it’s low calorie and vegan.

The roast vegetables in the photo include two yellow courgettes, some cavolo nero, two slightly aged shallots and the last handful of cherry tomatoes. I always use courgettes in this dish and usually an onion or two. But I’ve also included broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, peppers, aubergines (eggplant) and kale as well. This dish is very flexible. I wouldn’t use crunchy root vegetables like carrots, celery and radishes but otherwise most vegetables will blend nicely. I hate beets (beetroot) so never put them in any thing.

I’ve included a recipe below but it’s for illustrative purposes. Improvisation is your friend with this recipe. Change up any or all of the ingredients and the spices.

Recipe

Ingredients

2 medium sized courgettes (zucchini) 300 to 500 grams

1 bunch of cavolo nero or kale

2 large shallots or 1 onion

10 cherry tomatoes

Toasted sesame oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

2 teaspoons of dried chives

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Prep a shallow flat roasting pan – I use glass because it cleans well. Put a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the pan.
2. Strip the cavolo nero off the stems and chop the leaves into 2 to 3 inch pieces. Place in the roasting pan.
3. Top and tail the courgettes. Cut in half, then split the halves. Cut courgettes into chunks and place in the roasting pan.
4. Peel the shallots or onions and slice into rounds. Throw into the pan on top of the courgettes.
5. Take the tomatoes off the stems and put in the roasting pan.
6. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over the top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the chilli flakes and chives over the vegetables and top off with a twist of salt and pepper.
7. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Give it a stir about half way through the roasting time.
8. Remove from the oven and serve. If you make extra, they are lovely cold or reheated.

Thanks for reading the blog, making the recipes and your comments and feedback.

If you’re drowning in a sea of courgettes or swept away by the zucchini tsunami – this soup is the perfect remedy. Five ingredients and ready in 20 minutes. Low in calories unless you go crazy with the cheese at the end. Our favourite soup this summer.

The only special equipment is a stick blender but if you don’t have one you can mash by hand or whack it in the food processor or the blender. I have two stick blenders – a domestic one for small jobs and a commercial one as powerful as an outboard motor. The Davinator got tired of me burning out domestic ones with jobs too big for them and sourced a commercial one from Nisbetts – it’s about as much fun as you can have with a kitchen appliance. Your domestic stick blender will be fine for this soup.

The soup has a lovely consistency – this comes from cooking the potatoes with just enough water to cover them. This means the starch from the potatoes stays in the soup and isn’t rinsed away when you drain them. I scrub the potatoes and do not peel them but you might want to peel them if the skins feel thick or tough.

I’ve added this blog to my ‘courgette roundup’ blog, lots of other great ways to use your courgette surplus. Use a vegetarian cheddar to make it suitable for vegetarians. Also easy to make a vegan version of this soup – it’s lovely without the cheese or use a vegan substitute. Remember to check your stock cubes if you’re cooking for a vegan or vegetarian some use animal products.

Hope you are staying safe and keeping well in these challenging times. Thank you for reading and sharing the blog. Send in requests and tag me in photos if you post on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

My homage to Paul Simon, folks.  This blog post does not have 50 recipes for your courgettes (neither does the song list the 50 ways) but it should help you use your produce.

 What is it about courgettes that make them so prolific? They must be hardy enough to resist ambivalent (and lazy) gardeners (like me).  My first year, I put in six, yes six courgette plants.  OMG – did we have a lot of courgettes.  Now I plant three.  Some bit of ancient vegetable growing wisdom I have retained says three is the minimum number for pollination purposes.   Even three produce a lot of courgettes most years.

I really hate to throw away food I grew myself.  I have therefore accumulated a number of ways to prepare, preserve and eat courgettes.

 Here’s my round up of ideas and some specific recipes to make eating courgettes a joy not a chore. Hopefully, something for everyone. All of these recipes I’ve test cooked and the Davinator has eaten. 

1.  KISS – keep it simple, spiralize.  A spiralizer (many choices for less than £10 on Amazon) turns your vegetables into noodles.  Sautéed in butter, added to soups, salads and stir fry. Cover them with your favourite pasta sauce.  This is super use of the squash, especially when you harvest early and don’t let them turn into seed filled giants.
   
2. Just eat your vegetables.  Slice into 5 millimetre pieces, then chop in half.  Cook in boiling water or steam for 2 to 5 minutes depending on size and your preferences on the texture of your vegetables.  Alternatively, cut 1 inch slices and quarter these. Sauté in butter with a few chilli flakes and salt and peppel. Divine.
   
3. Get your revenge in first.  Make fried-courgette flowers.  Pick the flowers on stems (will never be courgettes) or small courgettes when the flowers are still attached.  You can either fry the flowers with the small courgettes attached or separate them and cook them separately.   Recipe link here: <fried courgette blossoms>
    
4. Use your weapon of mass consumption.  There’s nothing like chutney to use up large and diverse amounts of fruit and vegetables.  Sugar, vinegar, spices, onions and then a squash, a vegetable and a fruit component.  Here’s my recipe – <courgette chutney>.
   
5. Do it doughnut style.  Baked chocolate courgette doughnuts are about the healthiest doughnuts you can make and eat.  Of course, ‘healthiest’ doughnuts maybe a low bar but this recipe produces crowd pleasing treats – <chocolate courgette doughnuts>.
   
6. Put summer in a jar.  Courgette marmalade with ginger and lemon tastes like summer when you open it in November or gift it to good friends at Christmas time. This is not a recipe for newbies to making jam and marmalade but if you’re not intimidated by boiling sugar go for it.  Link here:  <spiced courgette marmalade>.
   
7. Hide the vegetables by burying them in deep dark chocolate cake. It’s all in the name.  This is a favourite of family, friends and co-workers.  So rich, it doesn’t need any icing or topping but you can go wild and slather it in whipped cream.  Link here. <deep dark chocolate cake>.
   
8. Pixar it up. One of my favourite Pixar movies is Ratatouille.  And you don’t have to be a Parisian rat to make awesome ratatouille.  Most cooks have a favourite recipe but ratatouille is very flexible. The core ingredients are courgette, aubergine, tomatoes and peppers.  Here’s a basic recipe that uses canned tomatoes but if you’ve got a glut go ahead and use them.  I would peel and core the tomatoes if you’re using fresh.  Link here: easy and flexible ratatouille.
   
9. Quickly now. Make quick whole wheat courgette bread.  It’s simple and quick and makes a good on the go breakfast treat. Link here: <whole wheat courgette bread>.
   
10. Round up……. Time to use your imagination and Google: courgette fritters, courgette terrine, courgette soup, tomato courgette spaghetti sauce.  Frittata with courgettes is one of my favourites. Link here: < frittata with courgettes>
    
11. Soup it up. Here’s the best courgette soup recipe I’ve found.
    
12. Get grilling. This is my new favourite grilled vegetable recipe.
    
13. Courgette and herb pilaf, you’ll never notice the courgettes.

Hopefully, these recipes will help you mop up the courgette tsunami and dig out from under the zucchini avalanche.  Thank you for reading the blog.   Please send comments, suggestions and requests.

You’ve made fried courgette flowers, ratatouille, chocolate courgette donuts, courgette marmalade and spiralised seemingly countless squash. What’s left? Time to make chutney. Chutney is a mixture of fruit, vegetables, vinegar, spices and enough sugar to bind it all together. It is usually eaten as a condiment (like Branston pickle or piccalilli) but I can’t swear that the Davinator has not eaten a sneaky chutney sarnie from time to time.

Like ratatouille there are an endless number of chutney recipes on the internet. And to be honest if you cook it long enough and slow enough, ingredients become chutney. This one works for me – the main ingredients seem to ripen at the same time in my garden. It’s based on a recipe from BBC GoodFood which has a wealth of practical and straightforward recipes for home cooks.

Once you’re comfortable with the recipe it’s easy to vary the component fruit and vegetables. The ‘chutney base’ is the vinegar, sugar and spices. Then it’s a squash element, a vegetable element (don’t start on tomato is actually a fruit) and a fruit element.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 500ml (17.5 fluid ounces) cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 400g (14 ounces) brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard seed
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and diced very small
• 4 onions, chopped
• 1kg (2.2 pounds) courgettes (zucchini), chopped
• 1kg (2.2 pounds) tomatoes, chopped with core removed
• 4 tart eating apples, chopped
• 300g (10.5 ounces) sultanas (raisins)

Method

1. Put the vinegar, 300ml water, sugar and spices in a large deep heavy pan. Heat, stirring regularly, until the sugar dissolves .
2. Add the remaining ingredients onions, courgettes, tomatoes, apples and sultanas) with a tsp of salt.
3. Bring to a simmer then bubble away uncovered for 2 to 3 hours until darkened, thick and chutney-like. Sometimes mine takes longer. I have turned it off over night.
4. Time to sterilise the jars. If you prep 6 250 to 300 ml jars that should be plenty. You can watch this video: jam jars or wash thoroughly in very hot soapy water. Rinse in very hot water then put on a baking sheet in a 140C/fan 120C/gas 1 oven until completely dry.
5. Pour the chutney into the sterilised jars while still hot, seal and leave in a cool dark place. The recipe suggests that you wait for at least 3 weeks before opening. That recipe writer has never met the Davinator. It might improve with age, I’ve never had it stay around long enough to find out.

Thanks for reading the blog. Please let me know if you’re enjoying the recipes, send comments, photos and requests.

Spicy courgette (zucchini) marmalade, reminds you of summer when you’re eating it on toast in January.

Dark delicious chocolate courgette loaf cake.