I don’t think there is another vegetable that comes on as strong at this time of the year as the courgette and green bean! They are just amazing.
Courgettes, Zucchini or summer squash can grow up to a meter long, however we tend to harvest them at around 15 cm. There’s heaps you can do with a courgette but as they are made up of mainly water. Stronger/acid flavours work the best.
Cut in half and char-grill. top with top sauce and parmesan and roast in the oven
Cut in half and scoop out the centre, fill with ricotta, raisins and lemon zest and roast in the oven
Classic sauté with Asian greens and cashew nuts.
This week, I’ve made a really colourful summer salad, which can be served alongside pretty much anything or at a casual summer BBQ
Courgette and coriander salad with a lemon tahini dressing (serves 4)
- 6 courgettes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250g round beans, ends removed and sliced lengthways
- 1 cup fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp finely grated pecorino or Parmesan
Using a peeler, slice courgette into long ribbons. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Heat a char-grill pan and cook courgette strips in batches, until soft and striped. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, blanch beans for 30 seconds then refresh in iced water. Toss together with char-grilled courgette and coriander. Season to taste and dress with lemon vinaigrette. Garnish with lemon zest and grated cheese.
Tahini lemon vinaigrette
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- Salt and cracked pepper
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.
This salad works really well at this time of the year with BBQ chicken, fish and grilled pork chops.
If you want to bulk out the salad to make it more of a main meal, I would add some cooked and sautéed pearl barley or even just add in some cooked penne pasta for a refreshing change.