Paula McIntyre: Courgette season always starts in early summer and can last so long

My grandparents used to grow courgettes and it never ceased to amaze me how much they could grow in such a short space of time.

They grew yellow and green varieties and they were part of nearly every meal for the summer months. They always had a glut and my granny would have blanched slices of them for a couple of minutes and they would have been frozen for the winter months. When I think of courgettes I think of the seemingly long hot summers spent at their house outside Cookstown. This over exposure didn’t put me off them at all and I still love to see the new season crop arrive.

A part of the plant my grandparents ignored was the flower. In Italy they would have stuffed them and fried them – something we’re starting to do in this country. If you have access to them, fill the flower with some soft goat’s cheese seasoned with salt and pepper and some soft herbs added, wrap the flower around it and then dip first into beaten egg and then some fine semolina to coat. Fry until golden and crisp and serve with some dressed leaves and sliced tomatoes.

That combination of fragrant flower, tart cheese and crispiness is early summer on a plate. Rather than freeze a glut of courgettes I prefer to turn them into a relish. I’ve just returned from a few weeks in Tennessee and they love to preserve vegetables. Whether its squash, corn, tomatoes they salt them first overnight and then cook them with vinegar, sugar and aromatics.

One of the things they like to do is to add horseradish sauce – it really adds a warmth and seasoning to the mix. In the recipe here courgettes are combined with onions, red peppers, chilli and some spices. Place in jars then cover the jars in simmering water to seal.

Serve now with cooked cold meats or cheese and then store for the winter to add to stews or casseroles. As well as tackling any potential food waste they look pretty in the jars on your shelf.

While you have the courgettes though make the most of them too – they nutritious, tasty and a great soaker upper of flavours. Hassleback is a term we normally see referred to potatoes but the method of thinly slicing, not all the way through, and roasting can be applied successfully to courgettes.

Place a wooden spoon handle beside the courgette and slice until you hit the wood and preventing you cutting the whole way. Rub with curry spice, oil, lemon and garlic and roast to golden perfection. I’ve added a recipe for chickpea dip to have on the side but they would equally good served as a side for grilled or roast meats.