This salad is always quite eye catching with it's lovely green and red colours ....In Africa Zucchini are sometimes called “Baby Marrows” or Courgettes. (I don’t know why there are 3 different names for such a simple vegetable, honestly !) *Update - thanks to Jilly, a reader from Australia who emailed me the following -: "Zucchini is the Italian word, Courgette is the French word, and they are Baby Marrows. But whichever name you prefer, that's a good salad!" Thanks, Jilly, I always love getting feedback from people who read my blog !
Baby Marrow or not, there is nothing “baby” about the Zucchini grown here. They are, on average, larger than an English cucumber. Which is really not good as they tend to lose their flavour when they become so large, and often have a lot of discoloration on the inside. I have never been able to get through to local market suppliers or my own gardeners here, the whole concept behind miniature vegetables …. baby corn spears, cherry tomatoes, tiny sweet carrots ? They just don’t see the point as for them “bigger is better” … even when it comes to ‘normal sized’ veggies like tomatoes, carrots, potatoes …..
“How many kilo’s of tomatoes do you want today, Mama Lynda ? One kilo ? Okay, that is 3 tomatoes. Maybe you take 3 kilos instead, hey ?” (I mean, honestly – who wants a tomato the size of a small melon anyway ?!)
This Zucchini salad recipe is an old one which I got from my Mum. Actually, it is from one of the cook books she had when we were growing up as kids. I have adapted the recipe over the years – for example, the original doesn’t have tomatoes added but I think that they just look so nice against the emerald green of the Courgettes/Zucchini and add some extra flavour. This salad is always a big hit and is another one of those recipes that gives maximum taste for minimum effort !
Marinated Zucchini (Courgette) Salad
500 gm Zucchini (Courgettes), thinly sliced
1 tsp minced Garlic
Olive Oil
1 tsp dried Mint (or 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped)
1 tsp dried Origanum
3 tbsp white wine Vinegar
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
Lightly fry the Courgettes & the garlic in the olive oil until just tender. Remove from heat and place in a salad bowl. Add the dried mint, origanum, vinegar, cherry tomatoes & salt and pepper. Mix to blend and then place in fridge to marinate for a few hours before serving.
Baby Marrow or not, there is nothing “baby” about the Zucchini grown here. They are, on average, larger than an English cucumber. Which is really not good as they tend to lose their flavour when they become so large, and often have a lot of discoloration on the inside. I have never been able to get through to local market suppliers or my own gardeners here, the whole concept behind miniature vegetables …. baby corn spears, cherry tomatoes, tiny sweet carrots ? They just don’t see the point as for them “bigger is better” … even when it comes to ‘normal sized’ veggies like tomatoes, carrots, potatoes …..
“How many kilo’s of tomatoes do you want today, Mama Lynda ? One kilo ? Okay, that is 3 tomatoes. Maybe you take 3 kilos instead, hey ?” (I mean, honestly – who wants a tomato the size of a small melon anyway ?!)
This Zucchini salad recipe is an old one which I got from my Mum. Actually, it is from one of the cook books she had when we were growing up as kids. I have adapted the recipe over the years – for example, the original doesn’t have tomatoes added but I think that they just look so nice against the emerald green of the Courgettes/Zucchini and add some extra flavour. This salad is always a big hit and is another one of those recipes that gives maximum taste for minimum effort !
Marinated Zucchini (Courgette) Salad
500 gm Zucchini (Courgettes), thinly sliced
1 tsp minced Garlic
Olive Oil
1 tsp dried Mint (or 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped)
1 tsp dried Origanum
3 tbsp white wine Vinegar
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
Lightly fry the Courgettes & the garlic in the olive oil until just tender. Remove from heat and place in a salad bowl. Add the dried mint, origanum, vinegar, cherry tomatoes & salt and pepper. Mix to blend and then place in fridge to marinate for a few hours before serving.
