Courgette and salsa verde gratin

A light, lemony courgette gratin with homemade salsa verde (herbs, capers, lemon) and nutty cheese, topped with brown-butter breadcrumbs and baked until golden.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Make the salsa verde: Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor if you prefer), pound or blitz 5g oregano, 5g mint and 5g parsley leaves to a paste. You may have to do this in batches if your pestle and mortar is small. Add 50ml extra virgin olive oil and mix or blitz it in. Tip the mixture into a bowl.

Step 2

Pound 1 clove of garlic with a little salt and add it to the herb oil. Gently pound or pulse 2 tablespoons capers until they’re partially crushed, and add them to the herby garlic mixture. Stir in 100ml extra virgin olive oil, a grinding of black pepper and the zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon. Taste and adjust for acidity and salt.

Step 3

Prepare the courgettes: Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Toss 1kg courgettes (cut into 5mm-thick discs) in a colander with a good pinch of sea salt and let them sit for 10 minutes over a bowl to catch any juices (there won’t be loads of liquid).

Step 4

Prepare the brown butter breadcrumbs: Place 200g breadcrumbs in a heatproof bowl. Heat a small pan over a medium heat for 1 minute. Melt 50g unsalted butter until it begins to turn light brown and starts to smell nutty, then pour it over the breadcrumbs and mix well.

Step 5

Make the gratin: Tip out any liquid from the mixing bowl under the courgettes and put the courgettes into it. Finely slice 1 clove of garlic and add it to the courgettes with 2 shallots, 1 deseeded and finely chopped green chilli, 4 tablespoons of the salsa verde and a good grind of pepper. Toss to mix everything and add 120g coarsely grated Gruyère (or vegan cheese) and half of the breadcrumbs. Taste for seasoning (the raw garlic will taste strong but will mellow as it cooks). Toss the remaining tablespoon of capers with the rest of the butter-coated breadcrumbs.

Step 6

Bake the gratin: Place the courgette mixture in a 26–30cm round gratin dish, ovenproof pan or similar. Scatter the remaining caper breadcrumbs over the top and bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the courgettes are soft and the top is golden and crisp.

Step 7

Serve the gratin: Serve with the remaining salsa verde spooned over the top. (Optional serving suggestion: with a lemon-dressed green salad, and if hungry some boiled or roasted buttered new potatoes.)