Glut of Homegrown Courgettes?!

I am so envious to read that a number of fellow bloggers who are growing their vegetables either at home or at the allotment have a glut of courgettes.  A couple of years ago, I found myself in exactly the same position; pondering the thought 'what am I going to do with all those courgettes?!'

Well to save some of you pondering that very thought, I thought I'd share a handful of courgette recipes from the past that may appeal to some of you.  Some of these will be savoury and some of these will be sweet - highlighting the versatility of the courgette.  To kick start the courgette fest, I share with you the a simple char grilled courgette recipe.  This way of cooking, totally transforms the texture and taste of the courgette.  Eat it as part of a mezze plate, a side dish or stirred into cooked pasta. 

Char grilled Courgette Wedges with chilli and lemon
For this recipe you will need one of those ridged grill pans for cooking the courgette.
Char grilled courgette wedges with chilli and lemon
Serves 4
Ingredients

4 courgettes, ends trimmed and cut into diagonal slices, about 2cm wide
1 – 2 tablespoon olive oil
1 fresh red chilli, or ½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
Juice of ½ lemon
Good handful of mint, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Toss the courgette wedges into a bowl with olive oil, chilli, salt and pepper.
Heat the grill pan until smoking hot and cook the courgettes in batches, about 3 – 4 minutes on each side.. They should be tender but with a crunch to them in the middle. Don’t be tempted to move the courgette while it is cooking or you won’t get the effective char grill marks. Add back to the bowl along with lemon juice and mint. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve at room temperature. Recipe originally appeared on my blog in September 2010.