[ SERVES 2–4 ]

There are a few things that grow extremely well in the British climate, a surprising one being courgettes, thus there’s always an over-abundance of them. Apart from grilling or roasting them, frying them in garlic and olive oil is a family favourite. They’re incredibly creamy and sweet when you get them right. Shredding the courgettes on a box grater gives you ribbony noodles which are awesome as a side dish or mixed in with spaghetti to bulk it up a bit, or served simply with a little grated Parmesan. They’re also good for the days when you’ve eaten way too much bread to be justifiable but still want a massive bowl of faux spaghetti with tomato sauce for supper.

Ingredients

2 large courgettes (zucchini)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or grated

¼ tsp salt, or to taste

a large pinch of dried chilli flakes

grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Preparation

Cut the ends off the courgettes. Take a box grater and lay it on its side so that the side with the largest holes is facing upwards. Push the courgette along the top of the box grater in long strokes to create ribbony shreds. Continue until all the courgette has been grated into ribbons. If you don’t have a box grater, use a peeler to peel the courgettes into wide ribbons, then stack the wide ribbons on top of each other and slice them in half lengthways to make them thinner.

Heat the oil with the garlic in a large frying pan over a medium heat, adding the courgette, salt and dried chilli flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes until the courgette is slightly tender. Serve immediately with the Parmesan on top, if using.