Secret Recipe Club: Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
Secret Recipe Club:
Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
Secret Recipe Club: Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
Here we go, another Monday and another Secret Recipe Club reveal day! This month I was assigned a blog that I often visit and love, Bewitching Kitchen. Sally is the voice behind the blog and I have admired and loved her work since discovering her through the Secret Recipe Club nearly two years ago. As usual, I had a HUGE problem choosing what to make with so many recipes to choose from…….Quick sun-dried tomato crostini, Mediterranean Skewers, Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake, Korean Barbecue Burger, Brigadeiros, Auvergne Crown and Chicken in Peanut Mole Sauce all took my fancy, and Sally has a HUGE selection of recipes for bread, which I LOVE to bake, but it was her Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil that I finally decided to make, based on a glut of courgettes I had at my disposal!
Secret Recipe Club: Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
Sally was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil and has lived all over the word, including Paris, California and currently Manhattan. So, expect an eclectic mix of fabulous global recipes on her site, which is lovely. I have spent many an hour perusing her recipes since I was assigned her blog a month ago. I chose to make the courgette recipe for a lazy Sunday lunch – we had spatch-cocked chicken with herbs and lemon, haricots verts with garlic and duck-fat roasted potatoes. It was a hot Sunday in the Charente-Maritime and we ate outside. It was such a simple recipe and yet delivered on the taste front; fresh courgettes were cooked with olive oil and garnished with sun-dried tomatoes and basil, as well as a squeeze of lemon juice.
Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
To make things easier and to utilise the oven, which was on for the potatoes and chicken, I decided to roast mine; the same ingredients were used, but I put them all into an old French Tian (oven dish) and roasted them for about 30 to 35 minutes. They were wonderfully most and yet slightly charred on the edges with a tangy lemon flavour. The sun-dried tomatoes were amazing and added a real tomato zap to the courgettes, which, can be a little bland sometimes. It was one of those recipes that brings out the flavour in a subtle vegetable without overpowering it, needless to say we all loved it! I struggle with courgettes (zucchini), it is such a bland vegetable and I am not a lover of it when it is poached or stewed, but when it’s roasted it is truly sublime and brings a new dimension to this shy and retiring vegetable.
Secret Recipe Club: Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
I did salt it before cooking, as Sally suggests, and I then drained off the excess moisture; I decided to add all of the ingredients together to cook and it worked beautifully. I used less olive oil and extra lemon juice and also added a drizzle of the sun-dried tomato oil too. This simple recipe made our Sunday lunch special and really enhanced the flavours of the lemon chicken, roast potatoes and garlic green beans. I used small courgettes, and managed to get neat little batons out of the two that I used. Sally’s recipe is here: SAUTEED ZUCCHINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL, but I have copied my version below.
RECIPE: SAUTEED ZUCCHINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL
(adapted from Fine Cooking magazine #65)
Image: Bewitching Kitchen
INGREDIENTS:
2 medium zucchini
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt + more for seasoning
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil + a little sun-dried tomato oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely diced
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
METHOD:
Wash the zucchini and dry them with paper towels. Trim off the ends and
quarter the zucchini lengthwise. Arrange the zucchini, cut side up, on a baking
sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
Blot the quarters dry with the paper towels. Cut each quarter on the diagonal into
3/4-inch-thick pieces.
Place all of the ingredients, except the lemon juice in an oven-proof dish and roast for 30 to 35 minutes in a pre-heated oven, 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Drizzle with the lemon juice and serve immediately.
Secret Recipe Club: Sautéed Courgettes (Zucchini) with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil
That’s it for another Secret Recipe Club reveal day, do try this recipe, it is simply fabulous and is perfect for the courgettes season. See you later with some more new recipes and photos of a recent day trip to the French seaside, Karen.
SAUTEED ZUCCHINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL
Lucy says
That looks amazing – and now you have really tempted me to buy the wicked greenhouse zucchinis I saw at the market on Saturday! I do like the sound of the Secret Recipe Club too, must investigate…
Seems hard to believe it’s a month since we were sipping tea in a heatwave together – I must email you those photos and tell you all about what happened next! Hope all is well xx Lucy
Karen says
Thanks Lucy! The Secret Recipe Club is a great way to meet new people and discover new blogs and look forward to seeing who I am assigned every month! All is well en France thanks, I assume you are back in NZ now? Karen
produse bio says
A recipe perfect for me and my family. I just made one small change, I add some hemp seeds, we learned to put it almost in every dish.
Karen says
I DO love hemp seeds! Thanks for the tip!
Beth says
Your zucchini looks wonderful. I agree that zucchini on its own is a little bland, and this is a great way to liven it up!
Karen says
Thanks Beth! It was a VERY tasty recipe!
Irene Wright says
oh yes, this sound delicious. usually when I have excess zucchini I just grate them, add some garlic, a little flour & an egg and just before either making them into an omelette or individual patties, I add a little bit of salt & herbs then cook them in a little olive oil. makes a change from having potatoes/rice/noodles/etc with every meal
Karen says
Thanks Irene! I love garlic with zucchini and I have also made them into little cakes/patties too, such a great idea!
SallyBR says
Well, I wrote a full comment on my iPad, forgot to add the name, email, the thing lost everything I typed… don’t you LOVE when that happens? 😉
ANYWAY, I was jumping up and down with joy when I learned YOU got my blog, as you know I’m always here, and had no clue you would be stalking my site this past month…. hope you had fun 😉
We love this zucchini recipe, you are so right, zucchini can be too bland and needs help, this method works great
Thanks for the great write up, and I wish you a fantastic Monday Reveal Day!
Karen says
I HATE that when it happens Sally and I see that I added my link from my iPad and the thumbnail is not showing……. 🙁
I LOVED having the excuse to stay longer over on your site and saved LOADS of bread recipes too, as I love baking bread!
This recipe was so easy and SO tasty, thanks so much for sharing it! 🙂
Have a WONDERFUL reveal day too Sally, Karen 🙂
SallyBR says
Just got the email notification of a new post from your blog, and opened a huge smile again! I KNEW already what it would be about… :0)))))
Karen says
LOL! Love it Sally! 🙂
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
What a great recipe to use up some of the bumper crop of garden zucchini we have. Love the addition of the sweet and chewy sundried tomatoes too. D-lish!
Karen says
Thanks Renee! LOVING the D-Lish too, for group D! Karen
amy @ fearless homemaker says
This looks fantastic – excellent choice for the SRC! And I’m so thrilled I had your blog this month – so many fantastic recipes to choose from! =D
Karen says
Thanks Amy! I LOVED your post and photo for my peppermint no-bake squares and I was SO excited when I realised it was you who had my blog! THANKS! 🙂 Karen
Rebekah @ Making Miracles says
Oh how I wish my boys liked zucchini! That looks SO great – thank you for sharing! Fantastic SRC pick!!
Karen says
Thanks Rebekah! You could also make this recipe with most vegetables, so maybe another one would work better for them!
Janie E says
I just love zucchini – I don’t mind what way it’s prepared as long as I can get it! It’s hard to find good quality zucchini where I’m at :/
Happy reveal day!
Karen says
Thanks so much Janie, this is a lovely recipe, so easy to make!
Tara says
Such a great way to use up extra zucchini! Beautiful photos!
Karen says
Thanks Tara! It was a lovely lunch and the zucchini was perfect as an accompaniment!
Traci says
What a great recipe! My neighbors have been bringing over zucchini like crazy to me and we are in desperate need of new zucchini recipes. This is a perfect new recipe that I haven’t tried! Thanks for helping me out of my rut! Great SRC pick.
Karen says
Thanks Traci! We all loved this recipe and I can recommend it as something a little different!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
I struggle with zucchini too, can’t quite get my mind around it’s blandness. But I love sun dried tomatoes and basil, what a perfect way to flavor roasted vegs! Really lovely Karen way to eat zucchini!
Karen says
Thanks so much Paula! It is a great way to jazz up this shy vegetable!
Lynn H @ Turnips 2 Tangerines says
Wonderful recipe!! I have zucchini’s coming out of my ears! (Well, not really:) Have a great week and see you next time on SRC~ Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines
Karen says
Thanks so much Lynne, I loved your post for Group D reveal day and thanks for stopping by! Karen
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
I still have a TON of zucchini from my garden, so this recipe sounds great! Love the flavor of sundried tomatoes! 🙂
Karen says
Thanks Jess! Have a go, you won’t be disappointed!
Emily @ Life on Food says
This is screaming my name for dinner. We have so many zucchini right now. Happy Reveal Day!
Karen says
Thanks so much for stopping by Emily!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I love zucchini in just about anything, and basil is a wonderful herb for it. Love this recipe – thanks so much for sharing it with us this month 🙂
Karen says
Thanks Susan – I loved your SRC post too! Karen 🙂
Ash-foodfashionparty says
A very nice way to wake up the sometimes bland zucchini. My boys sure would love it this way.
Karen says
Thanks Ash!
Melissa says
This sounds perfectly simple and healthy. Now if only my zucchini plant will grow a little more!! Great pick this month 🙂
Karen says
Thanks so much Melissa! Karen
Andrea Mynard says
Looks lovely Karen. I have a bit of a courgette glut at the moment too, so great to have a new, very tasty looking recipe.
Kirstin says
Yummy. I love zucchini…just made stuffed zucchini tonight. Great choice. What a yummy dish.
Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies says
Karen I love the dish you served the zucchini in…so rustic! Zucchini looks wonderful…I’ll be saving this recipe for when the zucchini in my garden starts to come!
Tracy Nixon says
Love courgettes, sundried tomatoes and basil so this recipe is perfect for me!!!! Thanks Karen! Shared via G+
Melissa Brody says
Yum, yum, YUM! This looks amazing. I have a feeling I’ll be picking up some zucchini at the market tomorrow 🙂
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
I love sauteing zucchini, but have never tried it like this. Sun dried tomatoes and basil sound like the perfect flavor combo here!
Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says
That looks just delicious, and right now everyone I know is giving me home grown zucchini. Now I know what I want to make!
bakingaddict says
I’ve been given a whole glut of courgettes from everyone’s gardens recently so it’s great to have another recipe to try particularly as I love sun dried tomatoes and basil. As usual your dishes look mouth wateringly delicious! x
Maria says
Made this for tea the other night and the whole family loved it….even the kids!!
I had some left over so put it and the oil left over from cooking in a pot and had it with spaghetti the next day…..delicious!! Will be making this again and again!