Courgette Carpaccio with Feta Cheese and Flower Beignets

Courgettes

This is perfect for dinner parties as the only cooking is the courgette flowers

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service

  • Preparation time: 70 mins
  • Cooking time: 15 mins
  • Serves: 6

Method

Step 1

Cut the jersey royals into quarters and boil until just cooked, then refresh in cold water and drain.

Step 2

Cut the flowers from the courgettes and reserve for later. Finely slice the courgettes lengthways and place into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, chopped shallots, parsley and the zest and juice of half a lemon and the cooked potatoes, lightly mix together and leave to marinate for 1 hour.

Step 3

Arrange the courgette strips in straight lines onto 6 plates. Top with the potatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Step 4

Place courgette flowers on top and drizzle with some of the left over marinade.

Nutrition

Courgettes are from the same family as marrows, cucumbers, melons and squash – the Cucurbita pepo species. They are usually green, but there are also lovely yellow varieties and although usually long and thin, round courgettes are now available too. The smallest courgettes with the flowers still attached are most tender and have the best flavour.

Although courgettes are regarded as vegetables, they are actually the swollen seed-containing part of the courgette flower, so technically they would be classified as fruits.

Courgettes like other members of the squash family are thought to have originated in Central and Southern America and to have been brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus about 500 years ago.

The word courgette is a diminutive of the French word for gourd – ‘courge’. In Italy and in the US they are called zucchini – the diminutive of the Italian word ‘zucca’, also meaning gourd or marrow.

In this delicious recipe, Mark has also used the courgette flowers themselves, not that common in the UK, but ubiquitous in French and Italian vegetable markets.

One small courgette would count as 1 of your 5 a day.

Dr Juliet Gray, Company Nutritionist