If you grow courgettes or have a few you don’t know what to do with in your fridge, you will love this recipe for Courgette Tian. It’s a great way to serve this easy to grow vegetable, whether as a main course or side dish. It’s just one of the many fantastic prepare in advance recipes which are featured in Jane Lovett’s cookbook: The Get Ahead Cook. I love being able to pre-prep – less stressful on the day with guests milling around you in the kitchen and gives you more time to relax and enjoy their company!
Courgette Tian
Course: Main MealsDifficulty: Easy8
servingsA classic Provencal dish which is an excellent way of using up a glut of courgettes. Great as a main course or a side with meat, poultry, fish or anything barbecued.
Ingredients
1kg courgettes, trimmed and sliced 5mm thick
Olive oil and butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
70g cooked basmati rice
Handful chopped parsley
85g Gruyere cheese, grated
1 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Grease a shallow ovenproof dish.
- Cook the courgettes in well salted boiling water for a minute or two until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water. Remove the excess moisture by spreading them out on kitchen paper.
- Heat a little olive oil and butter in a frying pan and gently cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Carefully mix the onion, garlic, courgettes, cooked rice, parsley and roughly half the cheese. Check the seasoning (it needs lots of salt and pepper) and tip into the prepared ovenproof dish. Scatter over the rest of the cheese and the breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 15 – 20 mins or until golden brown. Drizzle a little olive oil over before serving.
Cook’s Tip
- GET AHEAD: Prepare to the end of step 4 up to a day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring back to room temperature before cooking. It may take a little longer than 20 minutes. Alternatively complete the recipe and reheat when required.
- For a richer version, a little double cream can be poured over the mixture before the final cheese topping.
I didn’t have the required cheese so used up some leftover scraps of Roquefort and grated an old stump of Parmesan. Didn’t have the breadcrumbs either, but it still tasted really good. Ate ours with pan fried salmon fillets and a pack of £1.70 M&S Lemon & Dill sauce (rather handily, long life) from Ocado.
This recipe for Courgette Tian and lots more brilliant dishes can be found in Jane Lovett’s recipe book The Get Ahead Cook – it is one of my all-time fave cookbooks. And remember, your A&G website has almost 1000 tried and tasted recipes if you’re looking for even more inspiration.
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