Currabinny Cooks: A really quick pasta dish with courgette and pancetta
Orzo with courgette and pancetta. Photo: Bríd O'Donovan
There is something about the gentle taste and aroma of courgette which epitomises summer eating for us. We have grown them in Currabinny for as long as I can remember.
They are fairly easy in the garden. We generally plant in late April, although if it has been a cold Spring, it might be more sensible to plant in May. Plant the little oval seeds in small pots to keep on your window sill until the young plants reach around four inches in height.
Transplant them carefully into a warm patch in your garden. You can plant straight outdoors but we find that the slugs tend to get them before they have a chance. Each plant will have both male and female flowers, the female ones being the fruit bearers. The larger male flower is the one best for stuffing, pick these ones early before they have time to fertilise the female ones.
Courgettes can be picked young when they are bursting with flavour and their firm bodies, ideal for frying or they can be left grow into full-sized fruits, their flesh perfect for soaking up different flavours. Don’t let them get too ripe as they will turn mushy and unpleasant.
When buying courgette in the store, green-grocer or farmers market, be mindful of soft spots or blemishes. Courgettes are fragile and don’t fare well when tossed about or manhandled. Good, fresh courgette should have a healthy gloss to their skin and if they are anything but very firm, let it go. They are rarely sold with their flowers as these tend to have a very short shelf life. They would almost have to be sold the same day they were picked.
Growing your own or having a generous friend or neighbour is really the only reliable way to get your hands on the flowers. For this week, however, we will just focus on the delicious fruit.
Simple courgette salad
This salad with courgettess, spring onions and a hint ogf mint celebrates fresh, good quality food and simplicity
Servings
2Preparation Time
10 minsTotal Time
10 minsCourse
SideIngredients
4 courgettes
handful of fresh mint
4 spring onions, very finely sliced, green ends discarded
100ml olive oil
1 lemon
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Peel thin strips off each courgette while rotating until only the core is left. Alternatively use a spiralisers with a ribbon attachment. A mandolin could also be used although this would give you shorter ribbons.
Mix the ribbons together in a large mixing bowl with the sliced spring onions, chopped mint and nice big pinch of sea salt.
Add the zest and juice of the lemon to around the olive oil, massaging this mixture into the courgette ribbons.
Arrange on a serving plate or bowl and garnish with some more mint leaves.
Orzo with courgette and pancetta
You'll have a midweek meal in minutes thanks to this creamy, hearty pasta dish made from store cupboard ingredients
Servings
2Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
MainIngredients
300g orzo
200g pancetta, cubed
olive oil
handful of parsley, roughly chopped
4 medium courgettes
100g Parmesan
zest of ½ lemon
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Cook the orzo in a large pan of salted boiling water. Save a cup full of the cooking water before you drain the orzo and refresh immediately in cold water. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Leave to the side.
Cut the courgettes in half lengthways and then diagonally into small thick slices. Place a large frying pan or cast iron pan over a medium high heat.
Add olive oil cautiously, as even lean pancetta will release its own fat. Cook the pancetta until it is starting to turn crispy.
Add the courgette slices to the pan, tossing them in the pancetta fat.
Cook until the courgette slices soften and start to turn golden brown in places. At this stage the pancetta should be nicely crispy. Add a little of the cooking water to the frying pan and then add back the cooked orzo.
Take off the heat and stir together the orzo, pancetta and courgette until well combined. The orzo should be warm but not hot.
Stir through some freshly chopped parsley and the zest of ½ a lemon.
Arrange in a serving plate or individual bowls with the parmesan shaved over and a final crack of black pepper.
Grilled courgette with Mozzarella and anchovy dressing
Salty anchovies balance creamy Mozzarella and a garlic dressing in this delicious, hearty salad
Servings
2Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainCuisine
ItalianIngredients
4 courgettes, cut into elongated slices
1 buffalo Mozzarella ball, torn
sea salt
black pepper
olive oil
handful of parsley, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1 garlic clove
4 anchovy fillets
3 tbsp capers, drained
juice of 1 lemon
Method
Make the dressing in a medium to large pestle and mortar. Grind the garlic clove, anchovy fillets and parsley with a good pinch of sea salt until well combined.
Gradually add 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
Whisk in the lemon juice and capers until you have an oily green dressing.
Place the courgette slices in a mixing bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, a good pinch of sea salt and crack of black pepper. Mix well with your hands until each slice is well coated and seasoned.
Place a grill pan, griddle or frying pan on a medium high heat. Place enough slices of courgette on the pan to cover it. Cook each courgette side for around 4 minutes. Be careful they don’t brown too much or burn. If using a griddle pan, cook until charred lines appear. If using a regular frying pan, cook until the courgettes are golden brown all over. Do this in batches until all of the slices are cooked.
Place on a serving plate and scatter the torn Mozzarella before drizzling all over with a generous amount of the dressing. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
