Mark Diacono
LATIN NAME
Cucurbita pepo
ALSO KNOWN AS
Zucchini
SEASONALITY
July–October
MORE RECIPES
Courgette salad with ham, borage and ewe’s cheese; Barbecued fennel and courgettes with loganberries; Roasted courgettes and onions with yoghurt dressing; Pollack with courgettes and cannellini beans; Lemon, honey and courgette cake
Let me get marrows dealt with early, as politely as I can. If you’re looking for a flavourless boat in which to metaphorically sail a few handfuls of heavily spiced lamb, then a marrow may be the thing. Otherwise they’re chutney fodder. I remain convinced of this, even though I have lost count of the number of people who’ve told me how a marrow can be transformed into something edible.
Perhaps the most criminal thing about a marrow is that it was once something special: a courgette. And a courgette is everything its overgrown incarnation isn’t – most importantly, dense and flavourful. A useful way of thinking about these two vegetables is as little bottles of cordial: there is a fixed amount of flavour in them and beyond a certain point, adding water (i.e. letting the courgette grow too much) just dilutes the taste.
Picked small – either from the shop shelves or your veg patch – courgettes have a sublime flavour and texture. At their fresh best, they have a fine, nutty, pea flavour that’s wonderful raw in salads or as a crudité. Sliced thinly and dressed in just olive oil, lemon, basil (or lemon basil) and salt and pepper, these baby courgettes are fantastic.
The current trend for ‘spiralising’ raw courgettes into a low-carb substitute for pasta is not to be sneezed at – tossed with salsa verde oran intense tomato sauce, they are surprisingly satisfying – but I generally cook my larger courgettes. The process is all about managing their moisture.
A long, slow cooking of finely sliced courgettes with a little salt and garlic is very successful, driving out much of the water and resulting in a silky pulp that’s full of flavour. This is the springboard for many fine suppers and lunches. Exploit courgettes’ affinity with dairy and add a little cream and Parmesan for a wonderful pasta sauce, or stir in ricotta and Cheddar to add to a lasagne. Courgettes also love lemon and herbs, particularly mint and basil. Add lots of them to this cooked-down courgette mix to make a sumptuous side dish.
Whatever a courgette’s size, roasting, barbecuing or griddling will do it all kinds of favours. Slippery with olive oil, courgettes take on a welcome smokiness from fast, hot cooking – those blackened corners or stripes from the grill are their favourite spice. For the griddle or barbecue, I cut them lengthways into slices the thickness of a £1 coin as the high heat will cook them quickly, driving off moisture and intensifying their flavour; for roasting, I cut them into 5cm towers. Thyme, garlic and chilli each work well as complementary flavours, with a squeeze of lemon juice brightening them up perfectly just before serving.
If you are fortunate enough to find courgettes with a flower attached (direct from the grower is your most likely source, given their short lifespan), rejoice, because to my mind this is the edible flower, as fine a prize as the vegetable itself. If it’s your first one, it is worth being a little forensic in examining it to familiarise yourself with its constituent parts. The petals are green and/or yellow and taste peppery – not unlike rocket, if gentler. Pluck and discard the stamen from the centre of the flower, then bite into the flower’s firm base for one of the freshest, greenest-tasting treats of the garden, with a crisp, succulent texture and that peculiarly satisfying type of sweetness that comes only from vegetables.
I love the flowers torn up roughly in salads, but stuffed with leftover risotto or herby ricotta, tempura-battered and deep-fried they are beyond heaven. If it weren’t for their delicacy making them difficult to transport and store, the flowers would be the ingredient we all know about, not the vegetable (lovely as it is).
Growing courgettes is famously easy. Buy a single packet of seeds, grow half with only moderate success and you should still produce enough courgettes to feed everyone in your family and more. Start seeds off under cover in 9cm pots in April or May, planting out the seedlings 6 weeks or so later. Water well, especially through dry periods, and feed them with a tomato or seaweed feed.
Growing your own courgettes gives you access to wonderful varieties such as ‘Arbarello di Sarzano’, ‘Rondo di Nizza’ (spherical, perfect for stuffing) and the yellow cigars of ‘Soleil’, with their superior flavour and texture. It gives you control over picking them when they are that their best – which usually means slicing them from the plant when no larger than 15cm, though I’d urge you to take some when half that size. Bear in mind, the more you pick, the more the plant produces – you’re not doing yourself out of a greater harvest by picking them early, you’re just giving it to yourself in smaller, more delicious parcels.
SWEET AND SOUR BARBECUED COURGETTES
Char-striped courgettes – barbecued or griddled – can take on strong, aromatic flavours. These make a fantastic side dish for grilled meat or fish but also a complete meal served over noodles. Purple sprouting broccoli – roasted or just blanched – can be cooked and dressed in the same way. Serves 2
40g unsalted peanuts
Rapeseed oil, for cooking
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
½ small garlic clove, finely grated
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp fish sauce (or use soy sauce)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 medium courgettes
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Chopped mint, coriander or Thai basil, to finish (optional)
Toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring several times to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the pan and leave to cool a little, then chop roughly and set aside.
Put 2 tsp oil in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the chilli flakes, garlic and sesame seeds. Heat gently for 15–20 seconds until everything just begins to sizzle, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Then add the fish sauce, honey, vinegar, spring onions and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and set aside for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the courgettes.
Trim the courgettes then slice them, from top to bottom, into 2–3mm thick lengths.
Before cooking, make sure your barbecue is hot, or preheat a ridged grill pan over a high heat. Brush the courgette slices with a little oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Lay the slices on the barbecue or grill pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes on each side or until nicely charred and beginning to soften, but retaining a slight bite. Transfer the cooked courgettes to a bowl.
Stir the sesame oil into the dressing, then spoon three-quarters of it over the courgettes, turning them gently to coat.
Arrange the courgettes on a serving dish (or spoon over cooked noodles). Scatter with the toasted peanuts, finish with the remaining dressing – and herbs, if using – and serve.
