Words and images Kathy Paterson
Zucchini – Courgette
“One in the same”
The late Antonio Carluccio was Britain’s leading exponent of Italian cooking, and to quote him, “This vegetable may come last in alphabetical order, but for Italians it is the first and most widely used, along with the tomato. Zucchini [courgettes], are grown and enjoyed in every corner of Italy.”
Young, unripe little marrows, they have to be picked before they grow too much. In the middle of the plant are both the male and female flowers. The female flower is smaller, with the male flowers being more elongated and less delicate. It’s the male flowers that are best for cooking.
The flowers really need to be used the day they are picked, as they wither pretty quickly.
Zucchini and Their Flowers with Fresh Cheese
A great side salad or starter when zucchini flowers are at their peak.
Bocconcini or ‘small mouthfuls’ brighten with the perfectly calibrated tang from the dressing.
Serves 4
6 zucchini flowers, stamens removed
4–6 young zucchini
125g tub bocconcini, drained
Dressing
large handful mint leaves
large handful coriander leaves
large handful basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lime or 2 small limes
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey or extra, if needed
To make the dressing, reserve a few of the herbs for scattering over the salad and roughly chop the remaining herbs on a board with a large sharp knife. Put in a food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until everything is well chopped and emulsified. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed.
Heat a chargrill until hot.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zucchini lengthways into ribbons straight into a shallow salad bowl. Scatter around the bocconcini.
Flash the flowers over the chargrill to slightly wilt and give a little colour. Alternatively, leave completely raw and tear or slice flowers into thin strips. Scatter over the salad.
Drizzle over enough dressing to moisten and gently toss to combine. Scatter over the reserved herbs and serve straightaway.