Courgettes - I never have a glut, in fact I rather envy those that do!!! This year I grew 2 plants in the greenhouse in big tubs - for an early crop and 2 plants in an old water tank in the garden - hit and miss crop - rain and slugs! But good nonetheless. I like the ridgy Italian variety Romanesco, I think they have a lovely flavour. There are tonnes of courgette recipes I love and in the summer when they are plentiful I make big batches of Greek briam (a vegetable stew of courgettes, aubergines, peppers, onions, garlic and oregano and a few tomatoes liberally coated with olive oil and roasted in a covered dish). Sicilian caponata - not strictly a courgette dish should really be aubergines but I use both slowly cooked down with celery , red onions, capers , olives red wine vinegar and a little sugar. Fritters and bhajis made with grated courgettes also feature heavily. However this spaghetti dish is one of my favourites and a riff on it gets rolled out throughout the summer . It is a well behaved dish that can be messed about with depending on what you have in the fridge or the garden! The only proviso is don’t be mean with the olive oil, you want a nice slickly coating sauce like you would get in Italy. Below is the ‘not’ recipe, just a note on how I make it!
Depending on how many people you are serving, thinly slice some courgettes (a generous amount as they will wilt down loads) - in my pic I think I was bored of rounds so I had done long thin batons, but no matter , rounds are easier!! Liberally slosh some extra virgin olive oil (at least a couple of tbs) in a large frying pan that can go in the oven. Add the courgettes a good pic of seasalt , a couple of sliced garlic cloves some chopped red chilli - or red chilli flakes, and a couple of anchovies (optional and you can’t actually tell there are anchovies in it they just add a depth of flavour) toss over a medium heat to get them cooking - I then put my pan in the oven with a lid on (this is because I cook on an everhot - bit like an aga), feel free to cook slowly on the hob. When they are starting to get soft and mushy add a handful or two of cherry tomatoes cut in half (good for using up any in the greenhouse that have split or are going over, you do really want fresh and ripe tomatoes here not tinned ones) add some capers and chopped olives - fridge clearance (again optional) ! Stir it all together and leave over a low heat or in the oven to blip away .
Cook some spaghetti in plenty of well salted water (or a shape of your choice but I would say spaghetti or penne are the best here). When its just cooked - you want a little bite, put the pasta pan next to the frying pan and using tongs lift the spaghetti out and straight into the sauce taking any clinging pasta water with it (you can perform the same operation with a colander but save a small cup of pasta water and add a little as needed) . Stir the pasta through the sauce (add a little spools of cooking water if it needs loosening - remember you are looking for a slick coating sauce here) and add a big handful of herbs , you could use basil, rocket leaves or parsley and adjust the seasoning. I like mine spicy so I would probably add another pinch of chilli flakes! Serve in warm pasta bowls and if you fancy add a little dob of buffalo mozzarella on the top - this makes a pleasing hot cold combination but is in no way essential . Grate over some parmesan or pecorino . This also looks impressive served for a summer lunch on a big platter with a couple of torn mozzarella balls across the top and handful of rocket strewn over the platter. Serve it with some good crusty bread and a glass of wine is essential! Summer on a plate. enjoy xx
