Courgette pesto parcels with herby yogurt & a courgette helpline

One (count them - ONE) whole kilo of courgettes in this recipe. And if that doesn't deal with the courgette glut, this week's Extra Helping features 24 more recipes.

Courgette season brings the best kind of tyranny.

Like a true vegetable sadist, I rather relish the daily harvest that must be picked today if marrows are to be avoided tomorrow and which requires constant invention to find new ways to cook them and avoid mutiny at the dinner table (“for the love of God, surely not another stuffed courgette”).

When the glut comes, some recipes are more use than others.

It’s all very well suggesting a courgette cake for using the glut. But needing only 500g of courgettes and having just one iteration, it’s a recipe that will create only a limited dent in the harvest. Which is why recipes like slow-cooked courgettes are always my starting point because they use a lot of courgettes and offer endless variations (see Extra Helping).

The art of slow-cooking courgettes is found in many cuisines.

The Greeks, Italians and, I’m told by lovely Olia Hercules, the Ukrainians, have recipes which involve courgettes cooked slowly in olive oil until soft and compliant to make a ‘mother sauce’ then flavoured in various ways and used as fillings, sauces, dips and so on. And it’s not surprising in cultures where courgettes grow in abundance thanks to long, hot summers. So here’s mine version. No long, hot summer to speak of, but a courgette glut nonetheless.

(As usual, paid subscribers can scroll down for a PDF of the recipe and the Extra Helping section which, this week, features more recipes using the slow-cooked courgette ‘Mother Sauce’ described below. Expect soup, pasta sauce, posh cheese on toast and more…)

Courgette and pesto parcels with herby yogurt

This recipe serves 2 and uses one kilo of courgette. If you grow courgettes, this will be the best news you’ve heard all week. A whole kilo. Imagine how many courgettes you could use up if you had people round and served these filo parcels with drinks. But it does take some effort – the courgettes need time to reduce and regular stirring to prevent them catching. Still, gaze out the window at the triffid-like courgette plants rambling over the veg patch as you stir and the time will pass soon enough.

Serves 2 generously as a main, 4 as starter

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1kg courgettes, thinly sliced

• 5 fat garlic cloves

• Big handful of basil leaves

• 4 tbsp pine nuts

• 50g parmesan, grated

• ½ lemon, zested

• 50g butter, melted and cooled slightly

• 1 pack filo pastry

For the dip:

• 5 tbsp Greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

• 1 tbsp chopped fennel fronds

• ½ lemon, zested and juiced

Warm three tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan set over a medium heat, then add the onions and sweat for 10 minutes until soft but not brown.  Turn the heat up a little, add the sliced courgettes and a big pinch of salt. Cook the courgettes for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly so they don’t catch, until they are soft and almost totally broken down. Don’t rush it – as the courgettes reduce the flavour becomes concentrated and rich, but it takes time. The finished sauce should be glossy and sumptuous. This is the Mother Sauce.

Whilst the courgettes cook, place the garlic, basil, half the pine nuts, the remaining extra virgin olive oil and a big pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar and pound to a rough paste. Stir in the parmesan and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Toast the remaining pine nuts in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes until golden.

Turn the heat under the courgettes off, stir in the pesto, toasted pine nuts and lemon zest. Now set the mixture aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 185C.

Unwrap the filo and brush a single sheet with some melted butter. Pile a couple of tablespoons of courgette mixture in the middle and roll up however your creative streak thinks best. Maybe it’s cigars like borek. Or perhaps you fancy a samosa vibe. Or maybe your inner 90s Masterchef contestant wants parcels with frilly tops. I like to make a variety of shapes. But whatever you decide, aim for no more than three tablespoons of mixture per sheet of pastry or the pastry:filling ratio will be off resulting in too much or too little crunch to balance the creamy filling.

Brush the outside of your parcels with more melted butter and bake for 20 minutes or until the filo is crisp and golden. Leave to cool for a minute before serving to avoid burnt mouths.

Whilst the parcels cook, make the dip - which is simply a matter of mixing everything together and adding a pinch of salt.

Serve the hodgepodge of parcels on a board with the yogurt for dipping, preferably looking out over the now tamed courgette patch.

Paid subscribers will find their recipe PDF and more ways with the Mother Sauce below. Whatever your subscription option, I’m absolutely thrilled you’re here and reading my work on Substack. If you’d like more and are in a position to pay for a subscription then I’d be delighted.