Courgette Carpaccio, Fennel Pollen and Pine Nuts

I didn’t want what is left of summer to slip away without sneaking in this no-recipe recipe for zucchini carpaccio.

The poor old zucchini – we call them courgettes in the UK – doesn’t get a lot of love. They are the also-rans compared to summer’s brightest stars – saline-sweet tomatoes, glossy eggplants, sky-climbing beans, etc. Nearly every summer vegetable would win a favourites contest compared to zucchini.

But where some disparage zucchini’s hardly-there taste and so-so nutrient levels (it really isn’t much to write home about now, is it?), I have grown to love this easy-to-grow vegetable.

Which is technically a fruit, but we won’t go there.

In common with the prettier, yellow summer (crookneck) squash, green zucchini should either be eaten well-cooked and swathed in plenty of fat (cream, butter, olive oil, cheese, whatever..), or eaten raw. Seared in a wok is fine too. In-between cooking – light steaming or minimal boiling – doesn’t do it any favours. In my opinion. I even think they can sometimes taste bitter if only lightly cooked; which is quite a feat for such a mild plant. No, I feel it’s far better to go over the top with zucchini, or go raw.

If you want a gorgeous zucchini soup recipe, please go read my “Creamy” Zucchini, Walnut and Thyme Soup. It’s one of my post pinned recipes and I really need to revisit it with new images! It’s naturally vegan but if you have some homemade chicken stock I daresay it would really be at home in this recipe. I also have it nestled in with other veg in a few other recipes – my Baked Ratatouille Tian springs to mind.

But today I’ve gone raw. You won’t want to do this with behemoth zucchini, the ones that  weigh as much as a newborn. Keep those for soup or gratins. Stick with the medium to small ones for their tender skins and sweeter flesh. You will want to keep the skin on too as that is where most of the antioxidants reside.

This is more a template than a recipe so just use it as a jumping off point.

How to customise your courgette carpaccio

I’ve kept it fairly simple but I can see this going in many directions.

For those that eat meat or fish, add a little bit of pan-crisped pancetta or best smoked salmon

Change out the pine nuts (they are pricey, and I do recommend organic) in favour of pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds or walnuts. All to be lightly toasted, of course.

Sneak in a friend: thinly sliced tomato, fennel, or beetroot

Be crumby: fry up some coarse breadcrumbs from a past-its-best loaf in olive oil and sprinkle over

Add little nuggets of goat’s cheese (shown above), feta cheese, or even some well-aged Cheddar.

Swap the dill or fennel for fresh oregano, chervil, lemon verbena or anything not too bold and assertive

Change the honey to agave if you are vegan. I’m not normally a fan of agave but a little is of course fine. Maple or anything strongly flavoured wouldn’t do here. You could just keep the honey out but I really, really urge you to drizzle on the merest hint as it really enhances the overall taste. It’s only a little bit but it does make a difference.

Why do thinly sliced foods taste better?

Of course, that’s subjective, but people do report that certain foods do taste better thinly sliced. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that the more surface area that is exposed the more we can taste it, and in some case smell it. The latter not always for the better: Do you think that thinly sliced broccoli is whiffier than hulking florets?

Thin slicing also changes the texture and shape, and with it our perception of its taste. Chunky foods = rustic; thinly sliced = more sophisticated. To some degree it depends what mood you’re in and what your expectations are before eating a dish.

With this recipe, thinly slicing the courgettes really does make them seem to taste sweeter than cutting fat coins of them. They will readily soak up the gorgeous flavours of the olive oil, honey and lemon. And leave you wondering why you haven’t been making this all summer long. 🙂

What are some of your favourite ways to eat zucchini? Do you say zucchini or courgette? Or do you call them something else??

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RIPE FOR PINNING!

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