Every summer for the past three years I have made futile attempts to grow my own vegetables. A combination of a lack of sun in my garden, a lack of time to tend the plants, a complete confusion over whether to water, over water or under water and the world's bugs forming an alliance against me tends to result in not a lot. This year however I have so far harvested the veritable bounty of 3 strawberries, two lettuces, a fair amount of fennel and plenty of oregano so it hasn't been a complete bust... I am delighted to say that the chard has also grown a moderate amount and I have had an absolute glut of one yellow and one green courgette.
It seems that I am not going to be getting any prizes for veggie growing at this year's village fete and there is probably little need for me to get out the preserving pan. I have however managed to grow enough to be the base for this evening's rather delicious supper.
My husband has a bit of a running joke with me that all vegetarian food is a version of ratatouille. Curry... spicy ratatouille. Bean chill... spicy ratatouille with beans. Lasagne... layered ratatouille with pasta and cheese sauce. Of course, he's just kidding but this evening's dinner wasn't too dissimilar if I'm honest... actually if you made up a batch of ratatouille, you could always add some chickpeas and top with smoked cheese as an excellent way to use up the left overs and stretch it to two meals.
Courgette, Chickpea and Smoked Brie Bake
1 tbsp oil (I tend to use rapeseed to cook with)
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1/2 onion - finely chopped
2 courgettes - thick sliced
1 400g tin chickpeas
Fresh basil
Fresh oregano (dried is fine too though)
A squeeze of lemon
1 tbsp capers
1 carton of passata
150g Chard - roughly chopped (a lot of the time this is hard to find in the shops so go for kale or spinach)
Cheese for the top, go with what you have but I used some amazing Smoked Brie from the Crazy Bear Farm Shop.
1. Fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat with a pinch of salt to stop them browning too quick.
2. Add in the courgette slices and brown on each side.
3. Now season and then go in with the rest of the ingredients except the chard (or what ever green you are using) and bubble away for 10 minutes.
4. Mix in the roughly chopped chard (stalks and all) and simmer for a further five minutes.
5. Transfer the whole lot to an oven proof dish and top with the cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 deg C or until the top is brown and bubbling.
We served ours with some fresh spelt bread to mop up all those lovely juices. A perfect mid week supper.
It seems that I am not going to be getting any prizes for veggie growing at this year's village fete and there is probably little need for me to get out the preserving pan. I have however managed to grow enough to be the base for this evening's rather delicious supper.My husband has a bit of a running joke with me that all vegetarian food is a version of ratatouille. Curry... spicy ratatouille. Bean chill... spicy ratatouille with beans. Lasagne... layered ratatouille with pasta and cheese sauce. Of course, he's just kidding but this evening's dinner wasn't too dissimilar if I'm honest... actually if you made up a batch of ratatouille, you could always add some chickpeas and top with smoked cheese as an excellent way to use up the left overs and stretch it to two meals.
Courgette, Chickpea and Smoked Brie Bake
1 tbsp oil (I tend to use rapeseed to cook with)
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1/2 onion - finely chopped
2 courgettes - thick sliced
1 400g tin chickpeas
Fresh basil
Fresh oregano (dried is fine too though)
A squeeze of lemon
1 tbsp capers
1 carton of passata
150g Chard - roughly chopped (a lot of the time this is hard to find in the shops so go for kale or spinach)
Cheese for the top, go with what you have but I used some amazing Smoked Brie from the Crazy Bear Farm Shop.
1. Fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat with a pinch of salt to stop them browning too quick.2. Add in the courgette slices and brown on each side.
3. Now season and then go in with the rest of the ingredients except the chard (or what ever green you are using) and bubble away for 10 minutes.
4. Mix in the roughly chopped chard (stalks and all) and simmer for a further five minutes.
5. Transfer the whole lot to an oven proof dish and top with the cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 deg C or until the top is brown and bubbling.
We served ours with some fresh spelt bread to mop up all those lovely juices. A perfect mid week supper.
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