I did not like courgettes as a child, at all. I remember being fed a waterlogged and flavourless boiled iteration of the legume by a classmate’s mother and feeling that we could never be close.
Having them gently sautéed in butter and garlic with a good pinch of salt by my mum (Clare) was a first step towards loving them. Now they are one of my favourite vegetables and scorching them in a hot pan so that the flesh is still a bit firm, is really good.
Ingredients (for 2) – as breakfast or any meal, with or without eggs
2 small courgettes (as small and firm as you can find), quartered, lengthways
Dressing
3 tablespoons of natural yogurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped with a pinch of salt
4 balls of labneh (optional)
a teaspoon of harissa paste mixed with ½ tablespoon of olive oil
¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ lemon
And
2 fried eggs (if desired) and some bread
How to make:
Heat up a frying pan until hot with a tablespoon of olive oil. Season the courgette quarters with a pinch of salt and place them in the pan. When one cut side is browning, turn so that the other can brown. This should only take a minute or two if the pan is hot – then remove to a plate.
Meanwhile, mix the crushed garlic with yogurt and a pinch of salt, and if you have some labneh (strained yogurt balls), mix in.
Arrange the courgettes on a plate with the yogurt labneh dressing over. Squeeze over a touch of lemon juice, particularly on the courgettes. Drizzle over the harissa oil and sprinkle over the smoked paprika.
If you want eggs, fry two eggs in sunflower oil in a very hot pan until crispy.on the bottom but the yolk is still runny.
Eaten with:
Black coffee and sesame seed bread.
Dinner Document 