How to Cook Home Grown Vegetables

Courgettes

Courgettes are hugely versatile. They go with practically any dish, and can be harvested at different stages of growth for different dishes.

The male flowers, with a stalk but no baby courgette at the base, can be picked for stuffing and salads. Of course female flowers are edible too, but you'll end up harvesting a courgette that hasn't had time to mature. Make sure you use the flowers straight away before they flop.

Try and pick them when they're 4-6in long. Don't pick them any smaller than this as some people advise because the flavour hasn't had time to develop.

After a wet spell courgettes can grow very rapidly and turn into marrows before you know it. Their taste becomes bland and watery. You could have a go at stuffing them, but then maybe life's too short.

Deep Fried Courgette Flowers

You mainly want to pick male flowers. These are the ones with no baby courgette at the base. Pick female flowers with courgettes up to 2-3in long still attached as well if you like, but obviously you'll miss out on the fully grown courgette.

Beat an egg in a bowl then add 225ml of iced sparkling water. The water must be as cold as possible, as this prevents the batter from absorbing too much oil, keeping it light and crispy. Lightly mix in 100g of plain flour and a little salt with a fork and beat gently. Don't worry too much about lumps.

Dip the flowers in the batter and deep fry them in oil that's been heated to
180C. If your flowers sink to the bottom of the oil, the temperature is too high.
Fry for a few of minutes until golden and serve.

Courgette flowers are perfect for stuffing too. Ricotta cheese (or Philadelphia at a push), with a little basil or parsley tastes wonderful.

Salads

Cut baby courgettes lengthways with a speed peeler to create ribbons that can be piled up on salads.

Ribbons are wonderful griddled too. Cook as below and toss in a little olive oil and lemon juice, season, and serve piled up on a plate. Maybe add a little chopped mint but leave other flavours out as they'll mask the taste of the courgettes.

Boiling

Boiled courgettes require hardly any cooking time at all. If you've sliced them, add them to boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes once they come back to a simmer. It's also nice to boil whole baby courgettes. These take 4-5 minutes, but no longer. Serve with a knob of butter, and maybe a few chopped herbs - chives, mint or parsley are all good.

Griddled

A ridged griddle pan is a great way to cook courgettes. Slice the courgettes on a long diagonal, coat with a little oil, and lay in a searingly hot pan. Turn the slices over when they're striped with brown. Season with a little salt and serve. Cook them like this on the barbeque too.

Fried courgette salad with mint and garlic

Courgettes have a high water content, so it's difficult to brown them in a pan unless you remove some of it first. Slice your courgettes lengthways unless they're very big and set them up in a colander lightly coated with salt (this will intensify the flavour too). Leave for 30 minutes. Remove excess water with a little kitchen roll or a tea towel and fry in hot oil until golden, adding a little chopped garlic to the pan towards the end of the cooking time. Serve dressed with a little vinegar and chopped mint if it's handy.