Courgettes Persillées

But it’s the little chaps that provide some splendid recipes. Whether you call them Courgettes, as the French do or Zucchini, which is their Italian name, they’re a versatile vegetable for the cook. At their simplest, cut into triangular chunks and turned in a little butter or olive oil, as above.

I learnt this little recipe in 1973 from a highly eccentric French-Algerian chef-proprietor who ran a wonderful Auberge in deepest Cambridgeshire in east England. It never fails.

For each person you need one moderately sized courgette; one sprig parsley and half a clove of garlic, plus salt and pepper.

Grate the courgettes coarsely and put in a colander and squeeze water out. Chop parsley and garlic finely. Mix all together and season. Stir fry briskly in olive oil for not more than two minutes.