Courgette, mint and lemon salad
The ingredients for zucchini alla poverella (poor woman’s courgettes) are simple, but the technique is crucial. Do not skip any stages or you will end up with an oily mush instead of beautifully browned courgettes. Serve with slices of prosciutto crudo, salami and mozzarella or burrata for a classic antipasto.
This is from the August edition of House & Garden.
If you like this recipe, why not check out other Courgette Recipes from the House & Garden archive?
What you'll need
Courgette, mint and lemon salad
Ingredients
Step 1
Slice the courgettes thinly, pile into a colander set over a plate or bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. Spread them out in a single layer on clean tea towels or several layers of kitchen paper, then pat dry.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan. Add a single layer of courgette slices and fry over a brisk heat, turning once or twice until they look well browned. As they brown, scoop them out into a bowl. Replace the browned courgette slices with more of the uncooked slices. Keep going, patiently, until all of your courgettes are nicely browned. Just as the last ones are nearly finished, throw in the garlic and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Scrape everything out into the bowl.
Step 3
Add the lemon juice to the courgettes. Tear the mint and add to the bowl, with some freshly ground black pepper. Mix and taste. If it is not totally delicious, you probably need to add a little salt, or more lemon, or both. Serve at room temperature, with a few fresh mint leaves scattered over. Wine notes The flavours of courgettes, mint, lemon and garlic call for a fresh, crisp, lemony wine, such as the Eccelsa Vermentino 2021/22, an aromatic Sardinian white with lovely summer fruit notes (£9.99; majestic.co.uk).
