Ingredients
1-2 courgettes
cold pressed rape seed oil
handful of fresh mint
ground black pepper
sea salt
If you have a mandolin, cut the courgettes lengthwise into strips - about 2mm thick. Otherwise use a sharp knife to cut them as thinly as you can
Drizzle a little oil over both sides of the strips, sprinkle a little pepper over the slices
On a hot griddle or BBQ sear the strips to get char lines across them, and to partially cook the courgette - you want them soft but not squishy
Pile them on a plate, drizzle with more oil and chopped mint. Turn it all over with your hands to distribute the oil and mint
sprinkle a little salt over the top and more oil if it needs
Serve with grilled meat etc at room temperature
Method
So summer has arrived with a vengeance, and for me that means eating outside, cooking outside where possible and a rolling series of salads and vegetable side dishes which are the main event accompanying a simple piece of simply cooked and seasoned protein. Think BBQ chicken, Kleftico, even sausages as protein but with succulent mouth watering delicious and fresh vegetables - again treated with sympathy and eaten with gusto.
When I got back from Japan, I bought a mandolin - its something I have wanted to have for a while, and the excuse of having been there was sufficient to indulge the whim. That having been done, I now have used it incessantly for slicing my vegetables on the thin side - so pickled ginger (the original stimulus for buying it) and now here, courgettes sliced onto thin (think 2mm thin) ribbons of dark green and creamy white.
Courgettes are an overlooked vegetable very often. I know I have historically thought of them as rather bland and insipid vegetables with too much water and not enough flavour. But since I started making them in the verdura in graticola recipe where the cooking method remoes water and intensifies flavour I have realised they are actually rather nice. And cheap as anything too as they are so plentiful. I made some courgette fritters for a quick lunch on Saturday (recipe to follow) and they were scrummy too.