Calabacin con ajillo

 

It was a gloriously sunny day and we were having an afternoon of tapas dishes. I came across a few courgettes going spare and found across this recipe. It was so delcious that it will now become a regular tapas.

Ingredients
serves 2

2 courgettes
6 cloves garlic
15g mint
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sherry vinegar 
sea salt
black pepper

Method

Roughly chop the garlic and finely chop the mint. Place them in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sherry vinegar. Set aside for half an hour to infuse. 

Wash the courgettes thoroughly. Cut them into 1cm thick slices, place in a bowl and add plenty of salt. Set aside for half an hour.

Remove the courgette slices and pat dry with kitchen paper. 

In a large frying pan, over a medium-high temperature, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then carefully add the courgettes, in a single layer.  (You may need to cook them in batches.)

Once one side has charred nicely, flip them over individually to fry the other side. 

Meanwhile,  in a smaller frying pan, over a low-medium heat, warm up the garlic and mint dressing for a minute or two, to cook the garlic gently without browning it. 

Remove both from the heat. Drain the courgettes on some kitchen paper. Season them with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Then arrange on a serving plate. 

Finally spoon over the garlic and mint, and drizzle over the remainder of the dressing.

Allow to cool for a minutes.