Stir-fried Courgettes with Sesame Seeds

On a hot dry frying pan, toast a couple of tblspns sesame seeds until just golden. Watch like a hawk, it takes seconds. Rinse and slice courgettes either into rounds or sticks. Heat a little vegetable oil in a wok, and toss in the courgettes. Add finely chopped garlic, and stir around once or twice just to colour. Add courgettes, and stir-fry until just done (5 mins?). Add salt, chopped spring onion if you have it, and a shake of sesame oil. Stir to blend. Then tip in the sesame seeds. Delicious hot with chicken, or room temperature as a salad.

Courgettes with Tuna

Another delicious simple little dish to make in advance. Peel tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them to the count of 12. Peel, split in half, squeeze out the seeds (add to a stock) and cut the flesh into a dice. Wipe the courgettes, and cut off and discard both ends. Scoop out the flesh from the inside, leaving the vegetable's thin outer wall as a kind of tube, taking care not to puncture it. Keep the flesh and chop it fine. Soak 1 oz (30g) breadcrumbs in water, and squeeze tightly in your hand until as dry as possible. Put them in a bowl and add chopped parsley, 1 oz (40g) grated parmesan, a 7 oz (200g) tin of best tuna in olive oil (drained and mashed with a fork), chopped courgette flesh and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Stuff into hollowed out courgette tubes. Heat olive oil and slip in the stuffed courgettes in a single layer. Turn them gently until they are brown on all sides. Any stuffing that drops out can stay in the pan. Take the courgettes carefully out of the pan. Add the cut up tomatoes to the pan and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Return the courgettes to the pan, sprinkle with salt and cook until they are tender but still a little firm. This might just be minutes. Serve with rice.

Courgette Salad

Top and tail courgettes. Steam whole for a few minutes until hot through but still firm. Dress with oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh dill, parsley etc. Roll around to coat, and leave until room temperature before eating, when they should have absorbed some flavour.