h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Help! My husband came home with a good 2kg of zucchini (I think that's courgette for you). I had asked him to buy some vegetables he'd like to eat (and gave zucchini as example for zucchini cream, or paprika for filling). Now it's onlxy the two of us who eat zucchini, and I don't need more than 500g for the soup.

Any ideas what to do with the rest? No room in the freezer, and I won't spend hours in the kitchen preparing some sophisticated meal).

Sweet-and-sour courgette is lovely and can almost be eaten as a main dish. Sweat off some red onion in olive oil, and throw in the courgette (cut into batons) with a bit of garlic. Add 3tbsp of balsamic vinegar, about 1tbsp of honey and a handful of sultanas, and simmer down (about 10 mins). Sprinkly with pine nuts and serve.

OR

Grate it, mix with grated potato and onion, a beaten egg, and shallow fry - courgette cakes, good served with a tomatoey sauce

OR

Fry some bacon until crispy. About halfway through, add finely-sliced courgette. Throw in plenty of garlic, parsley and black pepper, toss through cooked spaghetti and then stir in fresh beaten eggs for a twist on carbonara

I have to be creative because I can't stand courgette.

B

If my husband would do ANY cooking at all, he'd never have bought that many courgettes (he brought paprika, too, although I had told him only to bring some if they have the right shape for being filled ).

Thanks for the ideas. I guess I have enough to try all three of them.

Have you any left?

I love then extreeemely thinly sliced (with a potato peeler), and then those strips griddled in a pan with ridges, so that you get zebra stripes on the courgette slivers. Toss while warm in a lemony dressing.

I haven't any left. My husband wanted a zucchini cream soup, so I cooked that after all. I just binned the rest of the soup.

You might want to try this one I did last night (yes, we have a houseful of courgettes too).

Cut slivers of courgette with a potato peeler (as Beatrice above). Fry slowly in a good EVOO (not too hot, or the oil will burn) until limp, and then toss in a handful of finely-chopped mint, a couple of cloves of finely-chopped garlic and some feta (I used a 6oz block, cubed). Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar; serve hot or cold.

B