Thursday, August 29, 2013

"River Cottage Veg Everyday" - Marinated courgettes with mozzarella


It is the end of August and courgettes are rather cheap and abundantly available right now. They are tasty, quick-growing and endlessly versatile, in fact, recipes for courgettes come in as many shapes and sizes as the squash itself. Varieties of this summer vegetable can range in size from small and long shaped to humongous or even round shaped. The colors vary from dark green to pale green streaked with cream or even bright yellow.

Seeing that these courgettes were freshly picked the same day I bought them at my favorite farm stand, I chose the green, smallish long ones to star in my fifth recipe for my "River Cottage Veg Everyday" series, the delightfully fresh Mediterranean-style "Marinated courgettes with mozzarella".




The most "difficult" part about this recipe, is cutting the courgettes into thin strips or rather slices. You have to sear the slices in a hot pan (I used my beloved grill pan) and then prepare a marinade with extra virgin olive oil (which I always get at our local oil mill in town), garlic, lemon (zest and juice from an organic lemon), sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and basil.




The courgette slices should marinate for about an hour at room temperature and just before serving tear up or slice some buffalo mozzarella (regular will do as well) and strew the marinated courgettes with the fresh cheese.




I have been making a similar recipe for years now, it is one of my most favorite appetizers or anitipasti of all times - so, I do not really consider myself to be all that impartial - but trust me whe I say, this is just a perfect (late) summer appetizer - it is fresh and tangy and you could showcase your very favorite bread alongside and then mop up some of the fabulous marinade - that´s why you should really use a good-quality olive oil for the marinade, it will make quite a difference in how this dish tastes like.

If you own the English edition of this vegetable cookbook, you will find the recipe on page 314 in the chapter on "Mezze & Tapas".


24 comments:

  1. Looks delicious! What a wonderful bite.

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    1. Cindy, thank you - a nice appetizer that makes wonderful use of all that courgette that is available right now.

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  2. Beautiful!!! What a side dish or appetizer!!

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    1. Thanks so much - this dish is easily put together and quite nice on its own with a nice chunk of rustic bread or as part of a mezze or antipasti spread.

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  3. such a light,refreshing summery treat...loved the flavors,textures and simplicity of this dish...you have explained the recipe so clearly,we are sure going to try this out tomorrow for lunch,thanks for sharing :-)

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    1. Kumar, this is indeed a nice, light appetizer and if you are into Mediterranean flavors, you will certainly enjoy these marinated Courgettes with Buffalo Mozzarella. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. Hi Andrea, Yes there is a bit of a glut of courgettes at the moment so always delighted to find delicious ways to reduce the courgette mountain. What a gorgeous summery dish. Irresistable with the buffalo mozzarella and a lovely change from caprese salad. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Hester, yes, courgettes galore these days and I have made so many dishes with them, I stopped counting and still this recipe is one of my very favorite courgette recipes and I never tire of it - and the buffalo mozzarella is a nice added touch.

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  5. How beautiful and fresh... and light! A perfect salad. I went to buy this book - but there are so many variations available - I hope I ordered the right one! Können Ihre Kinder wie glücklich sie sind? :) ~ David

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    1. David, I really appreciate all your wonderful comments, dear friend - ob meine Kinder wissen wie gut sie es haben - I do not know but I hope so, Bu I do know that I am quite thankful for my wonderful "virtual" friends like you who take the time to read through my posts and leave all these fabulous comments! Thank you, David! Vielen Dank, mein Freund!

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  6. Beautiful, Andrea! I have been enjoying this series of yours

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    1. Cher, so glad to read that you are enoying my "River Cottage Vrg Everyday" series!

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  7. georgeous photograph my friend,
    what a simple and elegant dish you've got!

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    1. Dede, thanks so much - nice to learn that you like my photography and the recipes as well!

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  8. Super delicious and healthy - I want this for lunch!
    Mary x

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    1. Mary, thank you very much - this does make a nice lunch and/or a great addition to an antipasto spread.

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  9. Beautiful. This veggie dish looks delicious. I am enjoying your series.

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    1. Geraldine, thank you for letting me know that you enjoy my "River Cottage Veg Everday" series! this project (as I like to call it) is close to my heart and I enjoy all the support that I can get.

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  10. These are such a light and flavorful start to a meal...they are one of my favorite vegetables on an antipasto buffet.

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    1. Karen, in my humble opinion, one can never have enough courgette recipes and if you came for lunch or dinner to our house, I would make a huge antipasto spread including these marinated courgettes with buffalo mozzarella. Thank you for all your wonderful comments, dear friend!

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  11. I struggle quite a bit to try to find interesting ways of eating zucchini, since I find it rather bland. But good mozzarella, even burrata can lift it up for sure. Love the idea of marinating it Andrea!

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    1. Paula, then stay tuned because next week, I will be featuring another River Cottage Veg Everyday recipe that is totally different and it features those zucchinis in one of the most appealing and delicious ways possible - in my humble opinion.

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  12. Replies
    1. Mary, no maybes, my dear - this is Klara´s very favorite appetizer of all times - she could eat this every other day, no joke!

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