Grow Your Own Magazine

Can I freeze them?

I asked the very same question a while back and was told you CAN freeze them (thank goodness!!!) and you can either freeze them raw in slices or sauteed in butter and then frozen - I've done both but I don't know yet how they will taste when I come to get them out of the freezer.

I've also made up a roast veg mix with cherry toms, small potato pieces, courgette chunks, onions - I've part-roasted and then frozen it, and am hoping I can then just roast them and serve up as and when I need to - a bit like Aunt Bessies frozen roast potatoes I guess.

I've also made up some sauces for pasta and stuff with tomatoes, onion, garlic etc and frozen it in portions.

Piglet did post a yummy courgette soup recipe which I've also made and frozen ready for the winter.

can you guess I've been taken over by courgettes?!!

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smiling is infectious....

http://www.thehudsonallotment.blogspot.com/ updated 28th May 2008

Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall (not sure I have spelt that right!) in his River Cottage Cookbook has a superb recipe for Courgette Souffle (we have had it three times so far!) and also a number of others for the courgette glut.

See if you can google for it - or try BBC Cookery and google courgette. I got quite a lot of good recipes, some which can be frozen for later.

I've not had such a good harvest this year. Last year I took loads into work and everyone insisted on giving me 20p/30p a time so I paid for some of my seeds. So perhaps they are an earner in different ways.

Good luck.

Ah right excellent, I think i'll chop them up and freeze them in raw slices first that way I can decide later what to do with them.

cheers

Ooh, just remembered I have a 'vegetable' book which i've just hooked out, there's LOADS of suggestions on what to do with the stuff.

I've also just seen one of the 'missed' courgettes in the garden and it's quite a size!!!!

Are these worth cutting up or with they be all wrong taste wise?

Use them as baby marrow
Don

If you grow the round ones ,take a thin slice off the botton so that it says upright, take the top off like a like a lid and scoop out the middle seedy bit and stuff it with chopped up cherry tomatoes, basil, chopped shallots and a dry cheese such as feta or mozzeralla, pop the lid back on and pop it in the oven. Delicious

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Also put onion, courgette, garlic, tomatoes and peppersin a tray with some olive oil, roast in the oven and then whizz in a blender and freeze. Its great stirred through some pasta and sprinkled with some real parmesan reggiano cheese.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Suspect sprout,I used one very large round type in the courgette cake recipe and it tasted just fine!

Note that large ones the skin will be tough (like marrow) but I find they still have all the taste.

Grate courgettes finely (either by hand or in a kitchen wizz) and then squeeze out at much liquid as you can. Take about a tablespoon full of the mixture and put on a oven tray or something flat so they almost look like cookies! Put them into the freezer and once they are frozen transfer them into a freezer bag. They are really useful this size to add to casseroles/risottoes etc and really easy to do.

you can deep fry marrows

coat with flour and deep fry until crispy
eat immediatly

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Mmmmm Pigletwillie - I only just read your post for roasted courgettes and bits.... sounds yummy and I'll definitely be trying that one.

Everything went quiet for me and my courgettes, but it looks like the next glut is on the way....

hi Vicky - what a coincidence! Guess what OH and I had for tea last night, together with a piece of grilled chicken? The vegetable roastie mixture you described - it was DELICIOUS! Honestly, only just seen your idea! but its going to become one of my fave meal ideas! Dexterdog

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Hi there,
I`m new in here but have some advice on courgettes. Frezze them in their raw state, just sliced and they will hold their shape well for use in all kinds of dishes where you want to retain their form.
Prepare them slightly cooked in butter and freeze afterwards, and they can be easily used in dishes that need them to be soft and slightly mashy.
Cook them and liquidize them in veggie stock, and they can be easily defrosted in the microwave to be used as a soup that only needs a dash of cream added.

I've made yellow courgette soup for the winter (think it was in the GYO mag a couple of months ago?)
I've frozen c's by sauteeing in butter, and also by making up batches of rat. (can't spell the rest! LOL) which freezes well.
However... I've been putting yellow & green c's outside our gate with a 'help yourself sign' and they've been going really well. The other day I met a lady who has been taking a lot of them; it turns out she has a degree in food science, and was telling me all sorts of things I could do with them (though I haven't tried any yet.) Here are a few ideas, working on the theory that they aren't very tasteful but do absorb flavours rather well: rhubarb & marrow crumble/pie; stuffed marrows; marrow fool (?!) roasted marrow (shake up in a bag with a bit of oil and spices of your choice, then roast in a tray); marrow chutney; marrow jam; marrow rum.
From a Tesco magazine:
Lemon & courgette risotto
750ml veg stock
75g butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
225g risotto rice
150ml dry white wine
2 large courgettes
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 0.5 lemon
2 tbsp grated parmesan

Find yourself a risotto recipe, then add the courgettes etc. at appropriate times - quite near the end.

Courgettes with crumbs & parsley (I think from Sainsbury's mag)
500g courgettes
100g course white bread crumbs
small bunch of parsley
5tbsp olive oil
2 chopped cloves of garlic
zest of lemon

Basically, saute courgettes in oil until nearly done, then add crumbs & garlic, stirring until golden, adding lemon zest and parsley before serving.

Another weird one: courgette and cherry muffins:
350g plain flour
290g caster sugar
40g porridge oats
1tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
100g mixed nuts, chopped
4 beaten eggs
225g grated courgettes
170ml sunflower oil
50g glace cherries, chopped
demerera sugar to sprinkle.

grease & line 9 muffin holes
Mix flour, caster sugar, oats, baking powder, salt & cinnamon. Stir in rest of ingredients and beat well.
Divide mix between tins. Bake in preheated oven (200 C) for 25-30 mins. Sprinkle with dem. sugar and serve warm.

Phew! I need a break now!

Is there a record for courgettes as I must have had about 30 off one plant up to now and loads more to come!!!

We have 5 plants, and I reckon we easily get 10-12 courgettes a week.

try them battered and deep fried load of cal,s but bootiful

I have not tried this yet, but they sound nice..
8oz (225g) Self Raising flour
salt and pepper to taste
2oz (50g) margarine
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2oz (50g) ham, finely chopped
1 courgette, coarsely grated
1 medium egg, beaten with enough milk to make 4 floz (100ml) liquid

Heat oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6.
mix flour and seasoning in a bowl, rub in the margarine then stir in the oregano, ham and courgette
Stir in the milk and egg mixture, reserving a little for glazing the tops of the scones, and mix to a soft dough.
Knead lightly on a floured surface and pat out to a thickness of about 2cm/1 inch, and cut out into 2.5 inch rounds. Re-roll the trimmings and cut more rounds.
Glaze the tops with reserved milk and egg liquid and bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden brown.
According to the book, they are nice with soup.

Hugh FW's recipe for courgette and parmesan pasta is good too. And his ratatouille OH yes and the RC chutney uses them too if they are overgrown. I am sure I should be getting commission for this.

Hi
Yes, courgettes, had tons off of one plant, white volunteer, and would have been stumped without Elaine Borish's cookbook What Will I do with all these Courgettes, been my most heavily used cookbook this year.
When you've worked through all the savoury ideas she has some wonderful sweet recipes, muffins are very good and a very delicious chocolate courgette cake, I've used up 4lb of them with this.
Still got some left so its ratatouille and I think one last chocolate cake this year.
Sue

We will all have to go on ready steady cook and when they ask "and whats in your bag "just tip out loads of courgettes !!

Used the last of mine to make up a load of ratatouille for the freezer and onel last meal of it pan fried with balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes and a bit of brown sugar - try it, it's lovely, especially with a nice piece of fish. Had a bumper year too but can never get enough of them so not a problem. Actually, there was a bit of a problem, the freezer is now too full - need a new bigger one!