UMBRIAN STUFFED COURGETTES IN TOMATO SAUCE

This is a good late summer recipe to use up some of those courgettes which are so plentiful at this time of the year. Chef Angelo Paracuchhi, who comes from Umbria, presented this dish at a gathering of journalists keen to learn about cooking with olive oil. Serve as a first course or a light lunch dish. It is excellent hot, lukewarm or cold, depending on the style of your meal.

Ingredients
5 medium courgettes
1 egg
100g minced beef
15g grated Parmesan cheese
1 slice white bread, soaked in a little milk and mashed
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
250g tomatoes
Umbrian extra vergin olive oil

Method
Wash the courgettes, cut in half and gauge out the centres. Finely chop the removed flesh and place in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, minced beef, parmesan cheese, white bread and parsley. Mix well together and season with salt and pepper. Use this mixture to stuff the courgettes. Sprinkle with dry breadcrumbs and keep on one side.
Peel and de-seed the tomatoes. Place in a deep frying pan with the oil and more seasonings. Allow to cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the courgette halves to the sauce, making sure that they are crumb side up. Drizzle with a little more oil and cook gently for a further 20 minutes.

ZARANCOLLO

This is a very simple but wonderfully delicious way of cooking Spanish onions and courgettes and I make no apology for including two recipes for courgettes at this time of the year! The recipe comes from Murcia and so a fruity oil from the Desierto de Tabernas region would be an excellent choice.

Ingredients
1kg large Spanish onions
½ kg courgettes
¼ litre Desierto de Tabernas extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt
sprinkling of freshly chopped or dried oregano

Method
Peel the onion and slice as finely as possible. Finely dice the courgettes. Place both in a braising dish over a very low heat and pour on the oil. Peel and crush the garlic and sprinkle over the top of the vegetables with the salt and oregano. Cover and cook very gently until the vegetables are really tender.

GREEK MARINATED OLIVES WITH FETA CHEESE

It is quite easy to marinate your own olives at home and this can be a good deal more economical than buying expensive mixes in the shops. This recipe comes from the Biolea estate in Crete where they grow organic Koroneiki olives to press for oil in their own highly sustainable traditional style mill.

Ingredients
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1 six inch sprig of rosemary
2 three inch sprigs of thyme
2 bayleaves
¼ teaspoon cracked or coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup Biolea extra virgin olive oil
1 cup kalamata olives
2x250g pieces feta cheese
grilled pita bread

Method
With a vegetable peeler remove 4 wide strips of zest from the lemon. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Break the rosemary and thyme into 1-inch pieces and halve the bay leaves. Place all these ingredients in a small airtight container and add the black pepper, olive oil and olives. Cover and chill. Shake occasionally and keep for up to a month in the fridge.
To serve place the feta on a large plate and pour the contents of the container over the top. Serve with warm grilled pita bread.