Real Italian tasting courgette pasta (with flowers)

A couple of years ago, my sister did a stint in Italy teaching English. She stayed with a host family, and ate some absolutely bloody fantastic food by all accounts. In particular, she described courgette pasta with flowers and some kind of cheese which apparently was delightful. So ever since I've started to grow my own, I've wanted to replicate the mystery dish...and the other night, I cracked it.

Courgettes sliced wafer thin and cooked with a tiny bit of garlic for barely a minute, their flowers stuffed with homemade herb and lemon ricotta - it's an impressive dish and something I think you could serve up proudly at a dinner party. It's actually incredibly easy to make once you've finished with all the faffing. And yum yum yummy.

PS I urge you to try the homemade ricotta if you haven't before - so easy!

A comforting spring vegetable broth

This is a great way of eating spring veggies at their very best; cooking for the minimum time possible to retain their sweetness and gentle crunch. Tiny mint and basil leaves along with chopped fennel tops enhance the flavour, although dill could work equally well, (but mine hasn't grown yet). The white wine brings a lovely freshness. You could use chicken stock as well if you're not veggie.


I think a lot of people wouldn't try cooking lettuce, but actually it's a fantastic way to use little gem or other romaine lettuces, which can sometimes be a bit bitter, because the compact heart means it'll keep its shape well. Everything needs to be sliced up super small and cooked for very little time, as it'll carry on in the bowl when you're eating it.It'd also work with any other spring veg you've got - perhaps beans, baby carrots or asparagus. It's a nice way of cooking spring veg as a side dish too (although a shame to waste the tasty broth) - perhaps serve with fish if you're that way inclined?

This would work really well as a starter as it's wonderfully light, but works equally well as a tasty lunch with some day old bread to mop up the juice.