The salad drawer is stuffed, the neighbours are avoiding me and Him Outdoors is mumbling about trip hazards on the garden path. Even the hens have developed an aversion. Yes, the courgettes are running amok again.
H.O. points out that if we grew fewer plants we wouldn’t have a problem. But I always worry that if we only plant a couple, the slugs will eat them and – shock! horror! – I would have to buy my courgettes. So I’m always on the look-out for recipes to use the surplus.
This courgette tarte tatin makes a tasty vegetarian meal for at least four people, needing only a salad on the side, though of course you can serve it with meat or fish if you want to.
You’ll need a pan about 24 cm in diameter. If you can source both green and yellow courgettes to alternate the circles, it looks rather pretty.
Courgette Tarte Tatin
Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
4-6 small courgettes (about 400g in total), sliced into thick pennies
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 120g cheese, diced (I used a lightly smoked sheeps’ cheese but a hard goats’ cheese would work, or try a crumbled caerphilly)
1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry
Small handful of toasted pine nuts
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
Heat the oil in the pan and gently fry the onions until soft and golden. Season with salt and pepper, add the thyme leaves and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
In the remaining oil, cook the courgette slices, in batches if necessary, adding a little more oil if required. When they’re just softened, remove from the heat and scoop onto a plate.
Make sure the pan is well-greased, including the sides, then once the courgettes are cool enough to handle, put them back in the pan, arranged in overlapping concentric circles. Grind over a little salt and pepper.
Scatter the onions evenly over the courgettes and top with the cheese. Try not to get any of the cheese in contact with the base of the pan or you will struggle to turn out your tart.
Roll out the puff pastry until you can cut a circle a little larger than the diameter of the pan. Place it over the vegetables and cheese, tucking the edges down and around. Prick with a fork. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked and golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes, but it’ll be easier to turn out while it’s still hot. Run a knife gently around the edges then, using oven gloves or a thick cloth, put a serving plate over the pan and invert it.
If any courgette sticks to the pan, just tuck it back in place. Scatter with toasted pine nuts and serve.
Looks lovely, Linda!
Thanks, Cindy, it’s definitely one I’ll make over and over.
Yes it more feast than famine when you grow courgettes, but then they are so versatile and adaptable, I use them in a million different ways. Now I have another, thanks. BTW! If the problem is huge, google Stephanie Alexanders Zucchini pickle. It’s like dill pickle, crunchy, sweet and mustardy. Keeps for ages too
Oh, thank you! That pickle sounds great, I’ll take a look. Lx
What a delicious way to battle the courgette invasion! While I have only praise for the lovely Stephanie Alexander, here are my courgette aka zucchini pickles with a curry twist (https://thejameskitchen.wordpress.com/tag/zucchini-pickles/); not too modest to add link this time ;-). Your shrimps are going on the grill tonight, can’t wait.
Nicole xx
Many thanks, Nicole, I’ll be checking out your zucchini pickles too. Maybe I can finally persuade Him Outdoors they’re not the work of the devil. Hope you enjoy the prawns! Lxx
Ha, same with mine, though throwing enough chillies and spices at things usually does the trick. You both seem to have a slight addiction and enough chillies to feed the county, if I remember correctly (wish we would be neighbours).
County? Probably the entire country! I wish we were neighbours, too. 🙂
What a brilliant idea!
Thank you! It’s an excellent way of convincing courgette haters. 🙂
We’re at a potluck lunch in a couple of days and I was feeling a tad uninspired (apart from taking a freshly baked sourdough loaf, of course). This looks like the answer, thanks.
Haha, how’s the sourdough going? Is Betty still bubbling with life? Thanks re the tarte tatin, we really loved it. Possibly best eaten warm, imho, but my sis-in-law scoffed the last slice cold and enjoyed it.
We’ve just enjoyed this for supper, though it was in danger of being a pie rather than a tart as I made my usual botched job of turning it out. ‘It’ll mend in your tummy’ is the usual family excuse, and it DID taste good
Been there done that, made a similar excuse in the past. Don’t get me started on the greengage galette. Glad it tasted good. 😀
This is really a beautiful dish, Linda.Adding the toasted pine nuts before serving is a nice touch, too. It’s always such a relief when “the flip” is successful. Still haven’t had even a lasting blossom on my zucchini. That’s all right. My eggplant and chiles have picked up the slack — and then some. One can’t have everything, I suppose. 🙂
Swings and roundabouts … our aubergines have been a disaster this year. Shame we aren’t in a position to swap produce! Thanks as ever for the kind words. Lxx
Haha, flippin’ things. Yesterday I ate a whole courgette for lunch and then made risotto with baby courgettes and their flowers for tea. I’m not joking! I’m thinking of putting a spade through both plants at the weekend 😉 Will bookmark this one for next year though 🙂
Just think of them as compost in the making. 🙂