baked courgettes with pine kernels, sultanas and mint
rating:lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/experts/nigelslater/story/0,,…
Makes 4 as a side dish.
8 small courgettes (or 6 bigger ones)
4 tbsp olive oil
a small clove of garlic
5 spring onions
6 bushy sprigs of mint
a lemon
a small handful of pine kernels
a small handful of golden sultanas
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Wipe the courgettes and slice them thickly (they should be about the thickness of two £1 coins on top of one another). Put the olive oil in a bowl. Peel and crush the garlic and roughly chop the onions.
Mix the garlic, onions and oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced courgettes and toss gently, then put them into a roasting tin. Place the dish over a moderate to frisky flame and let the olive oil bubble. When the undersides of the vegetables start to colour, turn them over and cook the other side. An occasional shake of the pan is worthwhile.
Scatter the dish with the leaves from the mint sprigs - tear them up as you go. Squeeze over the lemon and add the pine kernels and sultanas. Toss gently. Bake at 200C/gas mark 6 for 25-30 minutes till the courgettes are soft, gold and fragrant.
