Hungerford Environmental Action Team (HEAT)

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Recipes: Courgette

Courgette Recipes

Di’s Courgette Cake

Cream together 3 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil , 2 cups sugar. Sift and add 3 cups flour, 1 teasp baking soda, 1 teasp salt, 3 teasp cinnamon. Add 2 generous cups grated courgette (squash the courgette down to really fill the cup), 3 teasp of vanilla essence,

Divide in 2 loaf tins and bake for 1 hour at 325 F / 160 C

Courgette and Tarragon Soup

2 onions finely chopped, 3 or 4 courgettes finely chopped, sweat in a pan with a few pinches of dried or fresh tarragon (don’t overdo it, as it’s a strong herb, better to add more later)

Add 1 litre vegetable stock, bring to boil then simmer for 15 mins. Use a blender to whizz it to your preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper, more tarragon if required to taste and boiling water if too thick.

Kathleen's Courgette Chutney

2 lb chopped courgettes or marrows, 1lb peeled & chopped apples (cooking apples or any other scrumped apples/fallers), 1/2 lb chopped onions
1/2 lb sultanas, 1 grated carrot, 1/2 lb soft brown sugar,1 teaspmustard
1 teasp mixed spice, 1 teasp salt,1 teasp grd ginger, 1 pint brown malt vinegar
Put all ingredients into a pan & bring it up so that it is just boiling. Cook for 1 hour. If the chutney is still runny carry on cooking/boiling for another 1/2 hour to drive off more of the water. Take thoroughly washed clean glass jam jars & metal lids and place in the oven at 100oC for 10 minutes to sterilise.
Pour chutney into hot jam jars. Fill right up to the top, and screw the lid on immediately. The chutney should then keep for many months or even years!
This recipe makes approx 3 coffee jars, so approx 5 jam jars.

Angela’s Courgette or Marrow Relish

4lb marrow (weighed after preparation) 3lb sugar 2oz root ginger 3 tsp lemon juice

Peel the marrow, remove seeds and cut into cubes. Put cubes in a colander over boiling water, cover and steam until just cooked. Place marrow in a basin, cover with the sugar and leave overnight. Next day bruise the ginger (beat it with a hammer) and tie it in a muslin bag. Put all the ingredients in a preserving pan and cook slowly for 1 hour, until the marrow is transparent. The relish doesn't set so no need to cook longer. Remove the bag of ginger and pour warm relish into sterilised jars.

Courgette, Potato and Dill Soup

2 large potatoes chopped, boil for 5 mins in 500ml stock till soft, blend to a puree. In another pan, heat some olive oil, add 3 grated courgettes and 1 chopped onion. Fry till soft but not brown. Stir in potato puree & milk to dilute. Add a handful of chopped fresh dill, season, simmer for 5 mins & serve.

Courgette and Potato Curry

Fry finely chopped red onions in olive oil till golden brown; add 2 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 fresh deseeded chopped chillies. When onions are brown add tomatoes (fresh or tinned); cook for 20 mins till thick. Add 1 tsp of cumin, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, paprika & a little water. Stir all together and cook for another 10 minutes, then add meat or vegetables of your choice, e.g. sliced courgettes & potatoes. Cook for 30 mins (1 hour for meat). About 15 mins before the end of cooking time add 1½ tsp of garam marsala and a handful of chopped fresh coriander.

Roast Summer Vegetables with Feta

3 courgettes, 3 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 2 onions, 5 garlic gloves, large handful of fresh basil, olive oil, salt & pepper; 1 block of feta cheese, pumpkin seeds.

Slice courgettes into rounds; quarter tomatoes; de-seed and slice peppers; quarter then slice onions; separate garlic cloves (but leave skin on). Place in baking dish and drizzle with oil, season and place in oven at 180°C for 20 – 30mins. Remove from oven and stir well: sprinkle crumbled feta over veg with pumpkin seeds and fresh basil. Replace in oven for 10 – 15 mins, until vegetables are just browning at edges; serve hot with couscous or rice.

Baked Courgettes – Various options for the BIG ONES

1 Cut courgettes lengthways and lay on oiled baking tray. Smear with pesto and grate some parmesan over it.
2 Cut into big chunks, grate fresh ginger over and mix in with some olive oil.
3 Cut in to big chunks, lay on oiled baking tray. Sprinkle ground cumin and ground coriander over and a drizzle of honey.
4 Either chunks or slices, mix up with chopped up sun dried tomatoes & mixed herbs and olive oil. For all bake in oven for 20- 30 mins at 180 C

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