These barbecued courgettes or zucchini are delicious cold as a starter or appetizer. Courgettes and zucchini are the same vegetable – just called different names depending on where you live!
Courgettes are a good choice of vegetable to barbecue because they don’t dry out. They are great, served warm, with steak for example.
This is a garlicky recipe as the vegetables are marinated for 30 minutes or so before grilling.
This is enough marinade for 3 large zucchini:
2 fl oz (55 ml) of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
a pinch of crushed dried chillies – or just use chilli infused olive oil
Trim and slice the courgettes lengthways into 4 or 5 strips and marinade in the mixture.
Barbecue the strips over hot coals until just tender, which should take about 3 minutes per side, basting occasionally with the marinade.
If serving the barbecued zucchini cold as an appetizer, leave to cool and sprinkle with fresh, torn basil leaves and sea salt.