Greek Courgette Pie

I was challenged at work today by 2 colleagues to make a meal for two people with 2 courgettes and 2 eggs.  I've done better than that - I've made a meal for four people (with a little extra help along the way!).  This is based on a Sarah Raven recipe from her Garden cookbook, a great option for seasonal veg cooking.  You start off by gently sauteeing a chopped red or white onion, 2 medium courgettes, grated, and a crushed clove of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil - Greek if you have it.  Let this cook for 15 minutes until soft and most of the moisture has been driven off.  Cool a little whilst you beat the 2 eggs in a bowl with a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche, some salt and pepper (not too much salt, as the feta is salty), a sprinkle of dried red chilli flakes, and a tablespoon each of chopped parsley and mint.  If you have fresh dill, add a tablespoon of this too.  If you have toasted pine nuts lying around (I keep mine in the freezer) then add a tablespoon or so to the mix.  Now fold in the cooled courgette mixture and 100g of proper Greek feta, cut into squares.  Then, melt about 25g of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.  Take a baking tin (wide and shallow is best) and brush with some of the butter/oil, then line with a sheet of filo pastry, letting the excess hang over the edge.  Brush with a little butter/oil, then lay another sheet of filo.  Repeat.  Now pour the courgette mixture onto the pastry.  Fold over the excess overhanging pastry and brush with more butter.  Lay another sheet of filo over, brush with butter and then scrunch another couple of sheets over the top.  Brush the whole thing with more butter/oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds if you have any (I didn't) then bake for 30  to 35 minutes at around 180C (fan)  until golden brown and crisp and the filling is gently set.  Serve warm or cold.  Definitely under a fiver territory here, and you can scale it up to feed more people in a bigger tin for a picnic, perhaps.  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall does a version of this in his 'Veg Every Day' book with rice added, but I felt the rice didn't soften enough when added raw.  You could bulk this out by part-boiling a cup of Basmati and adding it to the filling, but it will be a firmer, denser stuffing, albeit a more substantial one.

Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters with Tzatziki (revisited)

I've blogged courgette fritters before, and they are a great favourite of ours.  However, I tinker with the recipe, and discovered today that using self raising flour, instead of my usual plain, makes for a much lighter, fluffier fritter.  I made a batter with 2 very heaped tablespoons of SR flour, 2 eggs (from a neighbour's chooks, and fresh as anything) and a tablespoon or so of milk.  Mix well with a whisk, and season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper.  Allow to sit for half an hour.  Meanwhile, grate two medium courgettes, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and let them drain in a colander while the batter rests.  Strip the kernels from an ear of fresh corn (or use a small, well-drained tin), and finely-chop a couple of spring onions.  Break up a 100g block of feta into small chunks.  Now, drain the courgettes really well by squeezing handfuls tightly and then drying even more in kitchen paper.  Stir everything into the batter, and fry tablespoons of the batter in hot sunflower or rape seed oil until golden brown on each side.  You can do this in advance and reheat in a hot oven on a non-stick baking sheet for 10 minutes - they'll puff up again.  Make the tzatziki by grating half a cucumber and mixing with a small pot of Greek yoghurt, a grated clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, a handful of mint, finely-chopped, and salt and pepper.  Serve with the fritters with salad and perhaps roasted tomatoes, or maybe ham if you want some meat.  A great dish for kids, packing a real veggie punch, and definitely under a fiver.

Char-grilled Aubergine, Tomato and Feta Salad

There are many things that you can make with a plate of griddled aubergines.  You can layer them with minced lamb for a moussaka, or with rich tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan for Melanzane Parmigiana, or spread them with miso and grill them for a Japanese feast.  I could go on!  I chose to use a them in a lovely assembly-job salad from Saint Delia, tossing them in a marinade of olive oil, a little Balsamic and lots of chopped fresh basil, then overlapping them on a bed of proper Batavia lettuce with halves of slow-roast tomatoes, and topping them with crumbled feta cheese.  Very nice, served with the roasted carrot hummus made with the left-overs from last night's carrot and chickpea pitta pockets.  Here is Delia's original recipe if you fancy giving it a go - we eschewed the creme fraiche as I thought it was rich enough.  And I didn't have any!

Chorizo, Butternut and Feta Frittata [#234]

So, we were meant to be eating the leftover Asian Ribs tonight. Who was I kidding? So, a lovely baked frittata from Rachel Allan instead, with some crusty bread. I slightly over-baked it, as I was distracted whilst reading about.....food! Delicious though, with a lovely blend of salty, spicy and sweet.

Marinated Artichoke and Feta Salad [#192]

I am getting so blase now - another liberty taken with a recipe. But, I ask you, when it has been -8C this week, who wants to eat a cold artichoke, mint and feta salad? So, I made up the recipe as per the book, chopping all quite small, and used it to make little triangular pastries with filo pastry. It was then delicious, and went down very well with our pre-Christmas dinner cocktail (a Ritz Fizz, since you ask - a teaspoon each of Blue Curacao, lemon juice, Amaretto di Saronno and then topped up with ice-cold Champagne - yummy!).

Baked Aubergine with Sheep's Cheese and Mint [#145]

Yummy! Nigel suggests serving this as a main course with rice, but I used half the recipe to top crostini to accompany Margeritas as a starter. Just a most scrummy combination - soft, melting aubergine with salty feta, mint and toasted pine nuts. The remainder of the recipe will find its way into fritters tomorrow with some spinach and the rest of the feta. Will definitely make this again. No online recipe, but so easy: slice aubergine and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic and dried oregano and bake for 25 minutes till soft. Top with crumbled feta, chopped fresh mint and toasted pine kernels.

Radish, Mint and Feta Salad [#99]

As feta was supposed to be served with the lamb cutlets (see previous recipe) I decided to combine the cheese with this salad, which was a lovely crunchy accompaniment to the tender meat. I also used pea shoots, just because we had a bag that needed using, but it also added a very nice, complementary taste to the whole proceedings.

photo courtesy of www.rhs.org.uk/images/gyo/recipes/radish

Lamb with Thyme and Feta [#98]

I left the feta out, because it appears in a salad to accompany (see next recipe). I also roasted a lovely little rack of Welsh lamb rather than cook individual cutlets. The whole trimmed rack was marinaded with fresh thyme, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, and roasted in a high oven for 20 minutes. The result was a pile of gorgeous, succulent, tender little lamb cutlets, accompanied by salad and Jersey Royals with chives. Here is the recipe should you want to try the original Nigel version!

Zucchini Cakes with Dill and Feta [#97]

I love courgette cakes, and these were a yummy variation on the now classic recipe. I reduced the amount of grated courgette, and added a bit of chopped mint too. Served with a little salsa of chopped beetroot mixed with balsamic and olive oil. Eaten with the Baked Tomatoes with Saint Marcellin (see previous recipe) and some chargrilled local asparagus from the lovely Medley Manor Farm pick-your-own in Binsey, Oxford, this was a delicious, healthy veggie dinner. No online recipe sadly - go get the book!