Gill Meller’s barbecued courgettes will make your weekend BBQ

Barbecued courgettes with dill, goat’s cheese, mint and uoghurt
Serves 4 (as a starter)

Ingredients

• 4-6 medium courgettes
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
• 3 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 150g soft goat’s or ewe’s cheese
• ½ small garlic clove, peeled and grated
• a small bunch of chives, thinly sliced
• 6-8 sprigs of dill, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 tbsp chopped mint, plus whole leaves to garnish
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Prepare your fire. You want a glowing bed of embers with no real flames to speak of.
2. Set a grill over the fire; it will have reached the right temperature when you can hover your hand above it for no more than 3 seconds.
3. Top and tail the courgettes and slice them lengthways into strips, 3-4mm thick. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp olive oil along with the lemon zest, chilli flakes and fennel seeds, and tumble together.
4. Lay the courgettes across the grill. Cook for 8-12 minutes on each side, or until they are lightly and evenly charred, with some caramelisation.
5. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with the yoghurt and crumble in the goat’s cheese. Add the garlic and half of each of the herbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
6. Arrange the grilled courgettes over a large platter and squeeze over the lemon juice. Spoon on the goat’s cheese dressing and scatter over the remaining herbs to serve.

Extracted from Outdoor Cooking: River Cottage Handbook No 17 by Gill Meller (Bloomsbury).