1001 Courgette/Zucchini Recipes

O.K. it's a slight exaggeration.

I don't have 1001 courgette recipes to share with you today, but if like me you have been growing your own courgettes this summer you probably feel like you've tried at least that many ways to prepare them.

Here are a few that I've tried.

Courgette, mushroom and mozzarella tart

Like pizza only better!

Lemon Zucchini Muffins

I took Lynn's recipe for Lemon Zucchini Bread which she posted on her blog Happier than A Pig In Mud and tweaked it to make muffins.

Courgette chutney

I love to make chutneys and found a great recipe for spicy courgette chutney on the River Cottage  website, it's delicious.

Chocolate zucchini bread

The chocolate zucchini bread was another recipe I found on the BBC Good Food website. I have a monthly subscription to the magazine but use the website to search for recipes to match the ingredients that I have to hand.

Courgettes and tomatoes
waiting for goat's cheese and thyme
stuffed chicken.

It's easier to print the recipe from there rather than prop the magazine up in the kitchen where I inevitably spill something onto the pages.

Courgette & Brie soup

I've had the New Covent Garden Soup Company's Book of Soups for many years and have tried quite a few of the recipes.

One we like very much is Jason Stead's Courgette & Brie Soup.

Here's the recipe (tweaked just a bit):

450g/1lb courgettes/zucchini, sliced.
2 medium sized potatoes, about 350g/12oz, peeled and chopped.
1 onion (white or yellow) finely chopped.
1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock (a stock cube is fine).
225g/8oz Brie. Remove end rind and cut into pieces.
salt & feshly ground black pepper.

Put the first 4 ingredients into a large saucepan .
Cover, and bring to the boil then simmer gently until the veggies are tender. This'll take about 15 mins.
Stir in the brie until it melts.
Allow the soup to cool a little then blitz it with a hand blender or in a liquidiser.
Taste for seasoning.

This is a versatile soup that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Think about pouring chilled soup into small shot glasses or expresso cups as an amuse bouche, a great way to greet guests as they arrive at your house for a dinner or cocktail party.

Just in case you feel you need to add more "ways with courgettes" to your repertoire, click on the following links.

Courgette, mushroom and mozzarella tart. (BBC Good Food)
Lynn's Lemon Zucchini Bread
Pam the Jam's River Cottage Courgette Chutney
Chocolate Zucchini Bread (BBC Good Food)
Goat's cheese & thyme stuffed chicken (BBC Good Food)

Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Weekend Cooking @ Beth Fish Reads

and also La @ A Musing Potpourri

for the End Of The Summer Celebration Party

August 31st.

P.S. Sending all best wishes

 to any of my blogger friends

 who are suffering

 at the hands of Hurricane Irene this weekend.

Stay indoors and stay safe!

My apple pie.

On Sunday, all over the US, people will be celebrating National Pie Day.

I’m joining JoJo’s Pie party with our family favourite - apple pie.

JoJo has asked that we share our pastry/pie crust recipes, here’s  mine:

8oz plain flour; 2oz butter; 2oz white fat (Trex or Crisco); a pinch of salt & cold water to mix as needed.

Sift the salt and flour into a bowl then tip it all into your food processor, add the fats and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of really cold water to bring it all together.

Turn out onto a floured pastry board and with your hands form the dough into a smooth ball.

Wrap the dough in cling film (Saran wrap) and refrigerate for about 25 minutes.

To make a deep dish fruit pie, divide the dough roughly into 2 parts. On a floured board  roll out one half to fit the pie dish with a slight overlap, add pie filling,  roll out remaining dough and cover the dish.

Crimp the edges together, roll out remaining pastry bits and press out shapes with pastry cutters or cut into strips, to create leaves, which is what my Nana & Mum always did. With a sharp knife make several cuts in the pastry lid to let out the steam.

Brush the entire lid with milk and sprinkle caster sugar over to ensure a crispy surface when baked.

Bake for 30 minutes at 200c or 400F.

For a tasty filling I always use 6 granny smith apples, (peeled, cored and finely sliced), 2 oz each of golden caster & soft brown sugars, & a pinch of cinnamon.

Confused about English Imperial/Metric/US equivalent measurements?
Click here for comprehensive conversion tables.

To quote Miss Jane Austen:

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.”

P.S.

I had planned on using these wonderful Williams Sonoma pastry cutters that my dear friend Sarah @ Hyacinths For The Soul sent to me recently but as I wanted to show you our family’s traditional apple pie, will save them for another time.

Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro.

Shadows cross hatch an autumnal table setting.

I'm combining two themes today and linking to Shadow Shot Sunday @ Hey Harriet's blog in Oz and Sesonal Sunday hosted by The Tablescaper.
There is a slight chill in the mornings in Normandy now as we head into autumn, it's time to start thinking about putting the potager to sleep, I suppose.
I have been spending time this week clearing out the raised beds, but the haricot beans are still coming through and there's plenty of lettuces to enjoy.

After having nothing but green tomatoes for weeks and weeks there were suddenly masses of over ripe red tomatoes on the vines, so for lunch yesterday I made Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro, (tomato and bread soup).

Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi

I found the recipe in Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi's cookbook "The Italian Mama's Kitchen", which is full of wonderful authentic home-style recipes.

Click on the link to visit La Cucina Caldesi Cookery School.

I'm ashamed to say that this cookbook has languished on the shelf for over three years and although I've dipped in and out, to read the recipes and salivate over the stunning photography, this was the first recipe from it that I have attempted.

Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro, with parmesan shavings, served in a simple white ceramic bowl on a "Gien" artichoke under plate.

I'm not sure if there was a typo in the ingredients list but I found that 200ml of vegetable stock was nowhere near enough liquid for the quantity of bread suggested, so I added a 200ml bottle of tomato juice and all of the liquid obtained from deseeding the tomatoes during prep.

Was it good??

I thought so, it's certainly my sort of comfort food but although he finished his bowlful Mr B said that he wouldn't order it in a restaurant.

Email me if you'd like the recipe, nevertheless.