Someone gave me a plant which has produced a rather large nice looking courgette. I havent a clue what to use it for though. Anyone got any tasty recipe suggestions (nothing too elaborate as I am no Delia Smith) ;-)
Thanks in anticipation

I quite like them cut into strips (short skinny chips), then floured and fried.

fried up with onions are great....or I oven bake them with peppers and onions and toms, then mix with pine nuts and balsamic dressing and put into cous cous for chargrilled coucous vegetable salad.

fry up and put in an omlette or oven bake with other veg for roasted veg. or cut up and add onion, garlics and tomatoes and cook slowley in frying pan for a few minutes and use as veg dish, goes with fish or meat.

I cut them into thin slices and stir fry them with a leek, mushrooms and baby tomatoes. Once cooked I add a dollop of tomato puree and serve with noodles.

Courgette cake! It's the yummiest way to eat them IMO...we have 5 or 6 plants on our allotment and they've kept us in courgettes for what feels like months now :)

Have you a recipe Emily Rose

It's a Nigella recipe from Domestic Goddess - she puts a lime curd as the filling but I just mixed a 250g pot of philly with 100g of icing sugar and the juice and zest of a lime, works as a filler and topping! Also trying soaking the raisins in tea, or bourbon ;)

Recipe is here - http://www.oxfordkitchenyarns.com/blog/2006/08/07/day-4-courgette-cake/

I would highly recommend it, if you like carrot cake you will love this, it's lovely and moist and very pretty, flecked with the green courgette skin!

Enjoy :)

Fry and cook them off with onions and garlic then plonk in some stock, a carton of cream cheese and a good dollop of curry paste and you have a lovely soup Can you tell I don't follow recipes with my plonk and dollop instructions :-D

Cake:
60g raisins (optional)
250g courgette (2-3) weigh them before grating
2 eggs
125ml / 4fl oz vegetable oil
150g caster sugar (I use golden)
225g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda

Icing:
Small (250g) pot mascarpone cheese
125g icing sugar
Juice of 1-2 lemons or limes (to taste, depends how juicy they are)

Deep "American" muffin tins
Greaseproof paper

Preheat oven to gas mark 4 (180C)

First prepare your tins by cutting some greaseproof paper into squares approx 15x15cm. Size really depends on the size of your muffin tin; it works best if the paper is roughly 4 times the diameter of each hole. Lay aside until needed a bit later.

Put the raisins into a small bowl and pour over enough just boiled water to cover them. Leave to plump up whilst you get on with the rest of the cake.

Grate the courgettes (don't peel them, the skin gives a fantastic colour once baked) Its best to do this by hand using the rough setting on a normal box grater rather than a food processor (mushy results), then pop them into a colander and allow to stand in order for excess water to drain off.

Weigh out the flour. Spoon in the baking powder and bicarb and stir to evenly distribute.

Put the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy (I prefer to mix by hand but sometimes do this bit with an electric whisk). Spoon in the flour and mix until combined. Then stir in the grated courgettes and drained raisins (best to do this delicate stage by hand)

Now for the only tricky part, but don't worry if it gets a bit messy, they'll come looking fantastically homemade. Shove a greaseproof square into a muffin tin hole by pressing the centre of the paper. Press down to form a basic muffin paper case. The paper will buckle up around the top (I like the rustic look!) Spoon a generous dessertspoon-full into each case. Bake for 20-30 mins until golden brown, firm to the touch and smelling yummy. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire tray.

For the icing:
Beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste. Spoon the icing over the muffins once cooled.

This recipe also works really well as a layer cake. Use 2 x 21cm sandwich tins and spread the icing in between layers and on top

Ratatouille :  Slice courgettes & add to a pan with chopped onion, garlic, tinned tomato & tomato puree, season and simmer. Served as an accomniment to a meal or my fav - with a big portion of pasta and a bit of grated cheese on top - yum yum :-)

Thanks Kenya
As I like cakes, thats what i went for. made this recipe nd also found one for Chocolate muffins...gorgeous. So much for the diet!