Not only are they packed with a big boost of potassium, which keeps your muscles in working order, but courgettes are far more versatile than you first might have thought!
Bursting with vitamin C and folic acid, just half a large courgette counts as one of your 5-a-day. And what better than to enjoy them cooked and baked into delicious eats?
What we didn't expect is to find a gooey, rather 'moreish' chocolate cake in the mix – but it works for us!
Get set to whip up a veggie storm of culinary delights to wow your family and friends alike as OK! shares five of the most delicious and surprising recipes where courgettes are the star of the show…
Chocolate, courgette and praline cake
Serves 12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 150g hazelnuts
- 100g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 300g golden caster sugar
- 500g courgettes, grated
- 100ml rapeseed oil
- 50ml hazelnut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 300g self-raising flour, sifted
- 45g cocoa powder, sifted
- Butter, for greasing
Method
Courgette spaghetti puttanesca
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1x400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
- 1x300g jar of kalamata olives, halved
- 2 tbsp drained capers
- A handful of parsley, roughly chopped
- A handful of basil, roughly chopped
- Salt
- 200g spaghetti
- 2 courgettes, spiralised
- Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
Method
Courgette and Gorgonzola frittata
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 tbsp plain flour, sifted
- 100g pecorino cheese, grated
- A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- A handful of basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp flaky salt
- A good grind of pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 courgettes, sliced into ½cm thick rounds
- 200g Gorgonzola cheese
Method
Courgette pakora with fresh green chutney
Serves 12
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
For the fresh green chutney
- 1 apple
- 2 green chillies, deseeded
- 30g mint
- A thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the courgette pakora
- 2 courgettes, grated
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
- 100g coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp flaky salt
- 150g self-raising flour, sifted
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Method
Courgette and chilli spread with baked ricotta
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
- 4 courgettes, roughly grated
- A handful of chopped mint
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp chopped thyme
- 60g grated Parmesan cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Sourdough bread, chargrilled or toasted, to serve
Method
Recipes: Dominic Hoile; Photos: Winfried Heinze; Styling: Victoria Gray
READ MORE:
- Click here for today's top showbiz stories
- M&S launching iconic Percy Pig frappe just in time for the warmer weather
- 'I was King Charles' chef – he'd feed the chickens his scraps'
- You've still got spots in your 30s because of these 9 skin mistakes
- Ferne McCann: 'I wanted fame – but TOWIE came with a price I wasn't ready for'
Source: Read Full Article
