It must be summer, despite the mild days of late, because there are suddenly plenty of courgettes/zucchini popping up. These long green descendants of squash are versatile and abound come warmer months, and with their mellow flavour can be used in endless savoury and sweet dishes. The smaller young courgettes are great raw; the medium sized are excellent cooked and added to any of your go-to vegetable menus; and the oops-they-got-too-big marrow monsters are a perfect vessel to stuff and bake.
The Dish:
I seem to have a thing for courgettes and butter in combination (can you blame me?), so it naturally led to this simple, delicious summer accompaniment- Courgette Butter, or Zucchini Marmalade, if you prefer. Courgette likes to masquerade in and as butter, trust me. When shredded and cooked down, it becomes a silky and savoury spread of summer dreams. It is excellent slathered on toast, tossed through warm pasta, served with your protein of choice or roasted vegetables, and tops your scrambled eggs with a sophisticated nod. It's also a magical way to transform way too many of the green guys into jars that will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
The Ingredients:
500g Courgette (roughly 3 largish)- grated
2 Tablespoons Butter or Olive Oil
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt (or 1/2 teaspoon if using salted butter)
Ground Pepper - to taste
Optional: Savoury herbs that you have on hand, such as thyme, coriander, basil
The How To:
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter or heat olive oil. Add garlic, courgette, salt and pepper. Cook it down, being sure to stir frequently, for at least 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat; if it begins to brown, lower the heat. You're aiming to cook out the excess moisture from the courgette, which has a large amount of natural moisture content. If it becomes too dry before it has reduced you can add a small splash of water. Slow and steady is the name of the game. When it has reached a silky, smooth consistency you're done. Jar up you Courgette Butter and imagine all the ways this summer spread can be a luscious addition to your day.
Tidbits:
-This recipe is easily scalable- if you have only a few courgettes, halve the recipe; if you have oodles and indeed feel as though they're coming out your ears, double or triple. A lot of zucchini becomes a small/medium amount of butter.
-You can freeze it for up to a year- thinking ahead to the dark days of winter!
- Plant based butter or olive oil can certainly be used.
Questions or comments? Feel free to reach out to this mama-baker-writer-mover on Facebook or at nakedcakesandwholefoods@gmail.com , always happy to chat.
Recipe created by Elena Keir of Naked Cakes and Wholefoods