The time of year has arrived when we have the welcome ‘problem’ of how to use all the courgettes. Our own plants are producing plenty and our wonderful hosts where we stayed while we were in the Minervois gave us several from their garden to bring home as well. I like them simply sliced and fried in olive oil, but sometimes it’s good to have a change and this simple dish of roasted courgettes with feta cheese and olives provided that.
I cut two medium-sized courgettes into chunks about 1 cm square and put them in a roasting tray with a couple of cloves of garlic, roughy chopped, some salt and some olive oil. After about 30 minutes in the oven at 200 C the pieces were beginning to brown and I added 100 grams of feta chopped into small pieces and some stoned green olives for the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, Lo Jardinièr cooked some rice and made a delicious concentrated tomato and caper sauce to serve with them.
This made a very good supper, followed by some sliced windfall peaches given to us by friends in the village over which I’d poured some viognier white wine from the domaine des Pascales.
And the squid? Well, that was another meal – a real treat fror me when Lo Jardinièr makes this dish as it’s one of my favourites. A trip into Pézenas meant we had an opportunity to buy two nice squid from one of the excellent fishmongers in the centre of the town.
Lo Jardinièr cleaned, skinned and removed the insides from the squid. The fishmonger offered to do this for him so you may not have to do this. He then cut the two squid (which weighed about 500 grams together) into rings. He beat together 2 tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt and a cup of water, beat an egg white until frothy but not stiff and then folded the batter into the egg white. He dipped the squid pieces into the batter and fried them in olive oil for no more than a couple of minutes. They’re best served very simply with wedges of lemon, a green salad and a glass of white or rosé wine.
That’s a great way to do the courgettes and the squid look fabulous
No courgette problem here yet as my plants aren’t mature enough to produce anything yet, but I will remember this delicious looking preparation for the inevitable glut. I’ve been buying them at the farmer’s market to make frittatas, a favorite dish around here. I love fried calamari, um squid, too!
I’m sure you’ll have the same problem once your plants get going! We call squid calamares here too!
Two of the best recipes that I’ve read for a while Perfect summer food. The last time I went to Pezenas it was unusual to hear a French voice, very like the village of Vouvant close to which we live. What have we done?
Thanks! When I was in Pezenas I heard nothing but French and Occitan. It depends where and when you go – the old town in summer and the Saturday market are tourist hotspots so I avoid them. For those of us who live here Pezenas is just our nearest town, where we go for the mundane – bricolage, the tax office, printers, picture framers (my aim yesterday)…..and so on.
Courgettes are just beginning to make their appearance at our farmers markets and it will be a few weeks before we share your “problem.” I cannot wait!
It was a real eye-opener the first time I fried calamari at home. I’d no idea it was such an easy dish to prepare and oh, so delicious. That was a number of years ago and I’ve not ordered them in a restaurant since.
Fried calamari can be good in restaurants, but nothing is quite like freshly made at home!
I love thay our growing seasons are totally in synch! We picked half a dozen courgettes last night, I gave a few away but woke up this morning thinking “what shall I do with the courgettes”. Like you, it´s mostly just in olive oil and garlic, but it´s nice to do something different. That squid looks fabulous too!
Your courgettes recipe sounds so good with the olives and feta. The batter on the squid looks so light and crispy. Both meals must have been delicious.
The lovely problem of what to do with courgttes! and I hadn’t realised you were so close to Pezenas, a friends mum lived there for years, such a beautiful place !
We don’t have a garden at the moment but when we had a glut we loved Nigella’s courgette fritters and this recipe http://eattherightstuff.squarespace.com/blog/2010/1/30/chilli-sweetcorn-and-courgette-bake.html .
You have inspired me to try squid – I often order it at restaurants but have never dared try it at home. You make it look so more-ish and sound do-able.
roasted courgettes with feta cheese!!!!!!! Yummy!!!
Good to hear from you – are you still blogging?
Mmmmmmm… fried *anything* makes me happy but fried “things that used to swim” makes me *very* happy!
Yes, it’s definitely the best way to cook anything that used to swim!