Yellow courgette wraps with spinach and mozzarella
This is a good first course or accompaniment, especially
useful for gardeners with a glut of courgettes. You need the large ones that
have been growing sneakily under the leaves. They should measure about 19cm7 ½
in. A barbecue with an adjustable grill is ideal for this recipe, as the wraps
need to be seared quickly at the end.
Prepare the barbecue. To make the dressing, place the garlic
in a small pan with water to cover. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and
simmer for 5 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, pop the garlic cloves
out of their skins and crush to a smooth paste with a little salt. Scrape into
a bowl and add the vinegar. Whisk in the oils and season to taste.
Slice each courgette lengthways into six or more broad
strips, about 3mm/ 1/8 wide. Lay them on a tray. Set aside 5ml/1 tsp
of the oil and brush the rest over the courgette strips, evenly coating them
with the oil.
Place a wok over a high heat. When it starts to smoke, add the
reserved oil and stir-fry the spinach for 30 seconds, or until just wilted. Tip
into a sieve and drain well, then pat dry the leaves with kitchen paper. Tear
or slice the mozzarella balls in half and place on kitchen paper to drain.
Once the flames have died down, position a lightly oiled
grill rack over the coals to heat. When the coals are medium-hot, or with a
moderate coating of ash, lay the courgettes on the rack. Grill on one side only
for 2-3 minutes, or until striped golden. As each strip cooks, return it to the
tray, grilled-side up.
Place small heaps of spinach towards one end of each
courgette strip. Lay two pieces of mozzarella on each pile of spinach. Season
well.
Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the topped strips,
a few at a time, back to the barbecue rack and grill for about 2 minutes, or
until the underside of each is striped with golden-brown grill marks.
When the cheese starts to melt, fold the plain section of
each courgette over the filling to make a wrap. Lift off carefully and drain on
kitchen paper. Serve with the garnish of salad leaves, if you like, and drizzle
the dressing over the top.
Serves 6
2 large yellow courgettes (zucchini), total weight about
675g/1½ lb
45ml/3 tbsp olive oil
250g/9oz baby leaf spinach
250g/9oz mini mozzarella balls
Salad burnet,
Rocket (arugula) and mizuna leaves, to garnish (optional)
For the dressing
2 whole, unpeeled garlic cloves
30ml/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
30ml/2 tbsp olive oil
15ml/1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
45ml/3 tbsp walnut oil
Salt and ground black pepper |
