I love summer. Our garden is filled to overflowing with fresh produce and fruit. It's one of my favourite times of the year. I know . . . I know . . . I say that all year round. I guess I just love food, no matter what time of year it is . . . but in the summer when it is fresh, it's even better!
There are a few things that have a tendency to come on in a glut though . . . like courgettes and tomatoes. It's a bit early for the tomatoes just yet . . . but the courgettes are coming on fabulously!
It helps to have delicious recipes like this one here today to help keep things from getting boring. I mean who wouldn't like a tasty casserole which bakes like a pudding . . . but a savoury pudding . . . topped with the buttery crunch of crisp croutons.
A deliciously savoury pudding chock full of lovely green courgettes, garlic, onions and cheese. Yep. Two kinds. A rich strong cheddar and a punchy Monterrey Jack . . . use the peppered one if you are feeling especially up to it . . .
Oh, and there are green chilies in it too . . . just for an added kick. I guarantee nobody is going to be bored with this one . . . trust me on this.
*Courgette and Cheese Bake*
Serves 5 to 6
This is a fabulous way to use up the glut of courgettes which should be appearing in the gardens about now.
4 medium courgettes
3 medium free range eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS flour
small handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS flour
small handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 green jalapeno chilies, trimmed, seeded and chopped
1 cup grated strong cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons
2 TBS butter, melted
2 TBS butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow 1 litre casserole. Set aside.
Whisk
together the eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and flour until smooth.
Toss the courgettes together with the parsley, garlic, onion, chopped
chilies and cheese in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture over all and stir
to combine. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Combine
the melted butter and croutons. Sprinkle these over top of the
casserole, spreading them out evenly. Bake, uncovered in the heated
oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and set in the middle. Let
stand for ten minutes before serving. Delicious!
I love zucchini, and know first hand that you have to be prepared as it's prolific in the garden. There's a great recipe I read about in the NY Times, for a Turkish type dish that calls for roasted eggplant, one summer I decided to substitute zucchini and it was wonderful. The only thing was I had to salt the large pieces of zucchini, and let it drain on paper towels, to draw out the extra moisture so it would roast up without turning to mush.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds lovely. My family loved the baked cauliflower and cheese recipe you posted a while back. I can't wait to give this a try.