This simple Courgette and Freekeh Salad showcases courgettes at their best! Add a zesty lemon and mint dressing and enjoy.
Harvest recipes
If you grow your own fruit and vegetables you will know just how different one growing season can be from the next. Sometimes regardless of what we do one crop just won't thrive while others will bless you with an abundance of food! This year it was my courgettes that went wild. We grew two varieties (one sunshine yellow and one a deep shade of green). The yellow courgettes were a little sweeter than the green courgettes but both were delicious in their own right. When added to a dish together, you got the best of both worlds.
With so many courgettes to eat throughout the summer months, I wanted to come up with a recipe where they were the star. It needed to have just a handful of ingredients, showcase the beautiful colour of the courgettes as well as their flavour and be quick to cook.
The result was this simple Courgette and Freekeh Salad with Lemon and Mint Dressing. I've served it up as part of a salad bar, alongside a BBQ and even taken it on picnics! It's delicious served hot or cold so the choice is yours.
Cooking courgettes
I have always loved courgettes on the BBQ which is what initially inspired me to griddle the courgettes in a hot pan. Cooking them fast on a high heat means that they soften without going to mush. Plus, the caramelised, charred pieces give an extra depth of flavour.
Once they are out of the pan I drizzle over some of the dressing which then soaks into their flesh. I then simply toss them with the freekeh and drizzle with a little more of the dressing before serving. It's a simple, rustic dish that really shows courgettes at their best.
If you can't get hold of freekeh then don't panic. You can use farro, barley, bulgur wheat, giant cous cous or even pasta. I use pre-cooked pouches of freekeh to make this a super simple salad but if you're using dried you will also have to factor in cooking time.
The Recipe
This recipe will serve 2 people as a light lunch or 4 people as part of a bigger meal. Enjoy warm or cold.
Courgette and Freekeh Salad with Lemon and Mint Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 large courgettes (or 4 small ones)
- 4 spring onions
- 250 grams freekeh pre-cooked
- 2 lemons juiced and zested
- 1 bunch fresh mint
- 125 millilitres olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the courgettes into 1.5 inch pieces and add to a hot griddle pan.
- Cook the courgettes for 5 minutes before shaking them in the pan to ensure they don't stick.
- Keep cooking the courgettes for another 10 minutes (or until they are cooked through) shaking occasionally and adding the spring onions (whole) in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- While the courgettes are cooking,make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, lemon zest, mint leaves, olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Taste the dressing and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Remove the courgettes and spring onions from the heat.
- Slice the spring onions and add to a serving bowl along with the courgettes and half the dressing. (If serving the salad cold leave the courgettes and spring onions to rest until they get to room temperature then refrigerate until immediately before serving).
- Add the cooked freekeh to the courgettes and spring onions and mix.
- Drizzle over the rest of the dressing or alternatively serve it alongside the salad.
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