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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: queenbee on July 28, 2010, 22:49:51

Title: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: queenbee on July 28, 2010, 22:49:51: What does one do with courgettes the size of Marrows, should I throw it on the compost heap or has anyone out there got a recipe for giant ones. I would really appreciate a way of using them as I hate waste.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Paulines7 on July 28, 2010, 22:58:45: The answer is to grow Cavali F! as they don't have many seeds even when they are quite large.

Of course, they will be marrows if they are the size of marrows so you could stuff them or make marrow rum.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: queenbee on July 28, 2010, 23:02:23: Pauline, Marrow Rum is just up my street please, please, give me the recipe
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: macmac on July 28, 2010, 23:08:29: We made 2 gallons of wine from a gigantic specimen a lottie neighbour gave us last year.
Hic ;)
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Crystalmoon on July 28, 2010, 23:08:32: Hi there, I use the larger courgettes to make soup, just add some herbs/spices, onions or any other veg you like to some stock or just water will do then stick it all in a slow cooker if you have one & after a few hours & a cool down blend into a thick soup. I freeze the soup & either use it as a soup on its own when I defrost it or as a base for future soups/stews/sauces etc. Sometimes I freeze it in ice cube trays & then just add a few cubes to other dishes for flavouring or to make sauces.
Also there are some great courgette chutney type recipes online. Or you could pickle them in chunks.

Ive got a truly fab book called 'What will I do with all those courgettes?' by Elaine Borish, it has 168 recipes in sections covering soups, salads, appetizers, lunch or supper, casseroles, main courses, accompaniments, bread & cake & a few 'random recipes for rotund marrows' ;D

Happy courgette eating ;)
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: queenbee on July 28, 2010, 23:15:37: crystalmoon, I like he idea of pickling them, I will give it a try as I love pickles of any kind.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Crystalmoon on July 28, 2010, 23:18:29: courgette chutney recipe that can be frozen.
2lbs courgette chopped
3lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 lbs onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
20 fl oz vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon red or cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 lb brown sugar
4 oz raisins
In a large pot heat courgettes, tomatoes, onions, & garlic with half the vinegar & simmer uncovered until veg are soft, about 30 minutes. Add the rest of the vinegar & all remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. It should be thick & reduced to a pulp, with no watery juices left. Pour into clean jars with airtight lids or freezer boxes.

In Wilkinsons they sell thick feezer pouches that will stand up while you fill them, these work great for soups/stews/jams/chutneys etc
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Paulines7 on July 28, 2010, 23:22:25: Quote from: queenbee on July 28, 2010, 23:02:23
Pauline, Marrow Rum is just up my street please, please, give me the recipe

There is one here, kindly supplied by Biscombe.

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,35185.0.html
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Crystalmoon on July 28, 2010, 23:28:02: pickled courgette recipe
2lbs courgettes cut any way you like, cubes, slices etc
12 oz small onions, sliced into thin rounds
2 oz pickling salt
16 fl oz cider vinegar
8 oz sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
Add courgette pieces to onions in a large bowl, mix in salt. Cover the veg with ice cubes & allow to stand for 2 hours. Drain well.
Combine vinegar, sugar, spices in a saucepan, bring to boil. Add veg, bring slowly back to boil, stir frequently
Reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes.
Ladle veg & liquid into warmed-up preserving jars with airtight lids/seals, packing the veg loosely leaving a 1/2 inch space at the top.
Store in a cool, dry place for at least 3 weeks before using.
Makes about 3-4 pints
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Jeannine on July 29, 2010, 01:10:12: Make great zuccini cake,similar to carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on top
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: plainleaf on July 29, 2010, 05:43:11: Jeannine it is spelled "zucchini"
As for a courgette turning in a marrow. That will never happen unless you know a good genetic engineer.
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/Themes/classic/images/warnpmod.gif) Again your posts are not helpfull - please moderate your language and behaviour.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: grannyjanny on July 29, 2010, 06:48:25: Plainleaf. Your etiquette leaves a lot to be desired. This is A4A not the BBC gardening board, therefore we do correct people.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: shirlton on July 29, 2010, 07:58:30: I have bagged both of the recipes Crystalmoon. At the the moment we have lots of toms and Cavili courgettes
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Tulipa on July 29, 2010, 08:08:42: This is a good recipe....

Carrot and courgette bake, a great veggie dish or nice as a side dish for meat eaters too

2 medium carrots
3 medium courgettes
1 small onion
1tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
175ml single cream
50g gruyere cheese [i often just use cheddar]
3 tsp fresh chopped parsley
2 good pinches nutmeg
seasoning to taste
3 tsp sesame seeds [optional]

grate the carrots and the courgettes, finely chop onion
heat oil, toss in veg until just beginning to soften
beat together eggs, cream, cheese, parsley, nutmeg and seasoning
transfer to oven proof dish, sprinkle over sesame seeds
cook until golden brown and firm to the touch

It was in this thread....

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,34814.0.html

It is very popular in our house as I have one veggie so she has more of it and the rest have it as a side dish, everyone is happy :)
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: rossbyjove on July 29, 2010, 11:10:16: OOh.... get you lot, been a member for a day and all you can do is pregnant dog about spelling.
Any fool knows its KURJETTE.
Anyone have a recipe for chutney that actually requires more Kurjettez than the other ingredients?
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: ceres on July 29, 2010, 11:10:51: As you can see Dan dealt with it earlier. No need for further provocative posts. Now back on topic......... :)
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: grannyjanny on July 29, 2010, 11:41:37: There should have been a not in my previous post. Sorry ::).
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: antipodes on July 29, 2010, 14:03:46: Courgette, zucchini, whatever...
Big ones, I slice them in slices about 7 cm thick, empty out the middle and stuff them with a sausagemeat and onion mix, with herbs, then bake them in the oven surrounded by chopped tomatoes and onions and some cheese on top. A quick and tasty meal.
On my blog and also maybe in this Recipes forum, I posted a Chocolate Courgette cake recipe. Great for using up courgettes too.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on July 29, 2010, 17:37:27: Quote from: plainleaf on July 29, 2010, 05:43:11
Jeannine it is spelled "zucchini"
As for a courgette turning in a marrow. That will never happen unless you know a good genetic engineer.

A courgette isn't technically a marrow, but the judge we have for the annual Association show is willing to bend the rules a little if there aren't many entries, and last year the top place in the marrow class went to a courgette. For all practical purposes, I'd say a courgette is just a small marrow, and a marrow is a courgette that's been left on the plant too long. Any marrow recipe should be OK. What about making courgette and ginger jam? I've never tried as the wife won't touch anything with sugar, but it would surely work.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: grannyjanny on July 29, 2010, 21:27:48: A girl after my own heart Robert :).
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Jeannine on July 29, 2010, 21:36:44: They are both summer squash, both from the same family, will happily cross together. Even seed sellers call marrows large courgettes in some placesThe whole definition of courgettes, squash, pumpkin etc is so difficult as the descriptions cross over depending on what continent you live on.

A courgette is a zuchinni, a pumpkin is a squash, as squash is a pumpkin, a marrow is a courgette ,a pattypan is a squash, a pattypan is a round courgette..

All the above are accurate is different countries.

XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Vinlander on August 01, 2010, 00:14:23: For me the key difference between courgette and marrow is the transition between the waxy/oily texture of a courgette and the watery texture of a marrow.

This happens to all the squash/pumpkin species and it seems to be associated with a dramatic change of flavour - though my favourites are the immature pumpkins which have a kind of hazelnutty edge to them.

The transitions seem to take place at a vaguely similar fraction of the final length for each type.

However in my experience, courgettes that have grown fast and early in the season seem to retain their courgette characteristics to a larger size.

This means a well-grown 35cm courgette picked now might be fine in normal courgette recipes, whereas a similar sized one in late September would be a (relatively useless) marrow to all intents and purposes, and so would one picked now from a plant that had been starved of light, food and/or water.

Hope this helps - though it doesn't change the fact that picking at the right size is still best...

Cheers.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: AdeTheSpade on August 01, 2010, 10:06:02: I made the most YUMMY courgette cake yesterday - it's fab! ;D
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: pigeonseed on August 01, 2010, 13:44:02: I really like marrow actually. A lot of people don't because they find it watery and the texture is different - but to me that's a positive - it's very fresh-tasting. I like courgettes as well, but why not enjoy both!

There are some lovely Middle Eastern recipes for marrow as well as courgette and pumpkin - I've got the Claudia Roden book and the stuffed vegetable pages are all food-spattered - a sure sign of useful recipes!

And I think any Indian or other Asian recipes for bottle gourd/lauk/dudhi work quite well with marrow.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: shirlton on August 02, 2010, 06:53:34: Made the chutney on saturday and froze it in patty tins so that I can get portions out when I want to and they won't take very long to thaw if they are in small portions................................Thanks crystalmoon
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Digeroo on August 02, 2010, 15:03:36: I also find that for some varieties if you eat it quickly you can use is as a courgette but if you leave it around some of the seeds begin to harden and go rubbery.

The squash Trometto D'Albenga is lovely at any size and does not go watery.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: caroline7758 on August 02, 2010, 17:01:38: I made this soup yesterday as I had a glut of large courgettes and basil, and it was lovely. Could be eaten cold but cold soup never seems right to me!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/italianstylezucchini_9833 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/italianstylezucchini_9833)
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: mickrandall on August 16, 2013, 18:42:27: I have used oversized courgettes very successfully in jam following a marrow and ginger recipe.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: GREGME on August 18, 2013, 15:10:30: Quote from: Digeroo on August 02, 2010, 15:03:36

The squash Trometto D'Albenga is lovely at any size and does not go watery.

Hi this is probably the best variety tip I have picked up on here- if you can cope with the trailing this one gives you everything- small courgettes or large squash with flavour that store so the glut is manageable.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Slugcrusher on August 18, 2013, 19:07:20: Yeah turn your back on them and when you look again they are the size of marrows :BangHead:
Last years glut got transformed into curd with the help of some lemons, it was gorgeous and the samples at our autumn show never made it back.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Digeroo on August 18, 2013, 20:32:43: Quote
curd with the help of some lemons
Sounds lovely any chance of the recipe.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Borlotti on August 18, 2013, 21:59:48: Managed to give 5 away to someone walking past the allotment yesterday, and tonight made a very, very large pan of soup. Added some frozen vegs from the freezer to the soup, and it tastes OK. Only got 10 courgettes left, until tomorrow. May have to compost some, or maybe open a soup kitchen.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Paulh on August 21, 2013, 20:22:58: I grow marrows and courgettes. No doubt they are botanically the same but they have different characteristics, perhaps like eating and cooking apples.

Marrows we bake and stuff with a mince sauce.

Oversize courgettes you could do the same, but I think they do not have the same taste or texture as marrows. We instead use them in soup or ratatouille which can be frozen.

Marrows will keep for a few weeks because of their tougher skins, large courgettes I have found do not last as long.

Whatever, I enjoy them all!
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: royforster on August 25, 2013, 15:18:37: Quote from: plainleaf on July 29, 2010, 05:43:11
Jeannine it is spelled "zucchini"
As for a courgette turning in a marrow. That will never happen unless you know a good genetic engineer.
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/Themes/classic/images/warnpmod.gif) Again your posts are not helpfull - please moderate your language and behaviour.
Plainleaf, I think your just plain wrong. In French a courge is a marrow and a courgette is a small (i.e. immature) marrow. Therefore they are the same. The English word courgette is borrowed from French.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: ACE on August 26, 2013, 07:18:13: My mother used to make marrow and ginger jam. As a large courgette is really a marrow it would do as a substitute.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: plotstoeat on August 26, 2013, 20:23:03: Most of our biggees go into soup but my wife has made the cake and it is good. Today I made a type of caponata using courgette instead of aubergine. It was great with flat bread pockets.

garlic
chillis
celery
red onion
leek
half a big courgette
lots of mint and basil
red wine vinegar
tbsp of plum sauce

just render it down with olive oil but keep some texture. Eat hot or cold.
Title: Re: Oversize Courgettes
Post by: Jeannine on September 19, 2013, 00:02:08: If anyone is still looking for ideas I have just re booted an old thread that I gave the recipe for a pie filling that tastes EXACTLY like apple, I kid you not XX Jeannine