Courgettes - Part 2!

Courgette and mint soup, courgette bolognese and griddled courgettes

I've finally used up all of the courgettes!

Griddled courgettes

Last week we had griddled courgettes alongside some grilled meat. Really easy to make and they cooked in seconds on a hot griddle pan - Mr Kate sliced the courgettes lengthways and marinated in a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli and lemon juice. Quick sizzle on the griddle pan to get the lovely sear marks and hey presto.

Courgette bolognese

As we're on a bit of a health kick at the moment we also decided to try out courgette pasta instead of the usual calorific spaghetti to go with our bolognese. Simple to make - use a potato peeler to shave the courgette into tagliatelle-esque ribbons and then boil or steam for 2-3 minutes and season well. We were both pleasantly surprised with how tasty it was and neither of us missed the real thing.

Courgette and mint soup

And finally, I've just whipped the last four courgettes up into some delicious soup, adapting an Angela Hartnett recipe* as inspiration.

Here's how to make it:

1) Chop a bunch of spring onions or an onion and soften in a large pan with a glug of olive oil.
2) Chop the courgettes and add to the pan with a few cloves of chopped garlic and some salt and pepper.
3) Cook for a few minutes and then cover the veg with some chicken or vegetable stock.
4) Simmer for no more then ten minutes or until the veg is all soft.
5) Add about a tablespoon of fresh chopped mint.
6) Blend the soup and serve with seasoning to taste.

The fresh mint really added a certain je ne sais quoi to this soup - I went back for seconds for my lunch today! The rest is safely tucked up in the freezer ready to take to work for a healthy packed lunch.

And that's that - no more courgettes! Well... until Uncle Gerald's veg patch produces some more!

* Here's Angela Hartnett's original recipe that I adapated to make my own version: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/04/wild-garlic-courgette-mint-soup