Summery recipes to enjoy: courtesy of Doddington Hall, our newest stockist for Emma Britton glassware
Doddington Hall near Lincoln is our newest stockist for Emma Britton glassware you can now find in their beautiful Doddington at Home shop. At Doddington Hall there is something to enjoy at any time of year: the Hall itself, five acres of gardens, an event or estate walk, Doddington at Home, wine and farm shop, cafe and so much more. An example of a fine late Elizabethan Mansion, it is still a lived-in and much loved family home, alive with history and interest (pictured above).
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Photo: Doddington Hall Gardens, Iris
Over the years, custodians Claire and James Birch (since 2006) have worked on a range of initiatives to ensure the upkeep and conservation of the Hall and Gardens, with sustainability at the heart of many decisions. One of their greatest achievements is opening the farm shop in 2007, born out of a passion for good quality, seasonal, local food. You’ll find fruit and vegetables with zero food miles freshly picked from their fabulous Kitchen Garden, beef in the Butchery – often from their very own herd of Lincoln Red cattle, estate honey and an abundance of other produce from local suppliers.
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With the availability of all this freshly picked produce from the kitchen garden along with ingredients from the farm shop, it is no wonder there’s an abundance of recipes hall custodian Claire loves to cook in her kitchen, available on the website.
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Claire Birch in the Kitchen. Image credit, photograph by Dylan Thomas.
As its courgette season we’ve picked a few of these recipes to publish on our journal this month, with the kind permission of Doddington Hall. They just happen to be some of Claire’s favourites too! Delicately flavoured courgette dishes are perfect for pairing with a bottle of wine or a tempting zero alcoholic drink available in the farm shop, and your new Emma Britton glassware you can pick up from Doddington at Home, of course!
COURGETTE BABA GANOUSH
This is an ideal recipe when courgettes are plentiful and large! It is delicious and one of Claire’s absolute favourites!
INGREDIENTS
- SEVERAL LARGE COURGETTES (AT LEAST ONE PER SERVING)
- OLIVE OIL
- GARLIC
- SALT & PEPPER
- LEMON, PARSLEY OR OTHER HERBS (OPTIONAL)
METHOD
- Put whole courgettes under the grill at its hottest setting, or over a barbecue or gas flame.
- Turn and grill until they are well blackened on all sides and the flesh is really soft.
- Cut in half lengthways and scoop out the soft flesh, scrape gently right up to the burnt skin (don’t worry if a little bit of the black skin goes in it will add to the flavour!)
- Put the flesh into a sieve over a bowl to allow the excess liquid to drain out.
- Rub the flesh around the sieve to push the water through and/or leave for 30 minutes or so to extract as much as possible.
- Put a clove of garlic, chopped roughly and an inch of olive oil into a jug and whizz with a blender until it is smooth.
- Add the courgette flesh.
- Add olive (or rapeseed) oil until it is about 1/3 of the quantity of the courgette.
- Blend until smooth and pale.
- Season with plenty of salt and pepper and lemon juice too if you like.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
Serve as a dip with Welbeck sourdough/flatbread or oatcakes.
COURGETTE, GARLIC & SAFFRON PASTA
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3n COURGETTES PER PERSON (SMALLER THE BETTER)
- 1 GARLIC CLOVE (PER PERSON)
- GOOD PINCH OF SAFFRON THREADS
- OLIVE OIL
- PASTA (CLAIRE PREFERS SPAGHETTI OR LINGUINE)
METHOD
- Slice courgettes into rounds about 1.5 cm thick.
- Roughly chop the garlic.
- Heat plenty of olive oil in a large heavy frying pan.
- Place the courgettes evenly with one face down in the pan and cook on quite hot until browned on one side, then turn and do the other side. If you have too many to fit in the pan, you can double up a bit, they will shrink and you will squeeze them all in eventually. The aim is to get a good proportion of them browned. Add the garlic as you begin to turn them for the first time. Once courgettes browned, add a cup full of water, a good sprinkling of salt, a good pinch of saffron and turn heat down a little to simmer steadily until they are really soft and delicious. This will take 20 minutes plus. Taste regularly and you will probably need to top up the water. You are aiming for soft, delicious courgettes, some beginning to break down and a delicious olive oil/ garlic/saffron ‘gravy’. (This can all be cooked in advance).
- Cook pasta to taste and add to the courgettes once ready and drained, toss to distribute the sauce.
- Season to taste.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
You can offer parmesan to sprinkle on top but this can detract from the subtle taste of the courgettes, saffron and garlic.
COURGETTE FRIES
Courgettes are a source of a mineral called potassium. Potassium helps to keep our muscles working properly so we can move around. Courgettes are also a great source of vitamin C and folic acid.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 6 COURGETTES
- 3 TBSP PLAIN FLOUR
- A PINCH
- SMOKED PAPRIKA
METHOD
- Cut the courgettes into even lengths of 8cm and cut each length into sticks.
- Season the flour with salt, pepper and the paprika.
- Roll the courgette sticks in the flour, making sure they are well coated.
- Heat a saucepan ⅓ filled with oil until a cube of bread frizzles as soon as it hits the pan.
- Fry the courgette sticks in batches until they are crisp and golden.
- Drain each batch on kitchen paper and season with more salt. Serve hot in paper or newspaper cones.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
Courgette fries make a delicious, healthy alternative to chips. Serve with steak or just as a nibble with drinks – shop Emma Britton glassware to enjoy those in, from the Doddington at Home Shop when you visit and in glassware on Emma’s own website.