Roasted Courgette, Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella with a Herb Oil and Garlic Crumb

It's been a week now since I left my job, and I have to admit it has been a challenge to find things to fill the time. Going from working at a million miles an hour to...well...nothing at all has been a shock to the system.

 One positive though is that I've finally been able to catch up on all the sleep I've been missing and get my eating habits and exercise routine back on track! This has brought some creativity in the kitchen and time to experiment. This recipe is one of those experiments gone right!

My girlfriend's mother grows some lovely produce and has chickens that produce the most wonderful eggs. When she has too many, I'm lucky enough to get my hands on the surplus. This time, some fresh courgettes which I used for this latest recipe.

Homegrown yellow courgette

I simply roasted the courgettes and sliced some sweet and crunchy Piccolino tomatoes, leaving some whole. These summer ingredients form the base of the dish. I made a simple garlic crumb by pan frying some pulsed, stale bread and garlic until crispy and browned. I made a herb oil from pulsing basil and parsley with olive oil with a little salt and pepper. Finally, I roughly tore some mozzarella di bufala and t was time to plate up. First, the courgette and tomato followed by the mozzarella. Then some dollops of the herb oil, a generous sprinkle of the crumb and finally garnished with some dried basil flowers (from my last basil crop). A classic combination with a little twist, it made a wonderful, light supper.

Ready for garnishing

Altogether it came together in under 30 minutes and made from simple ingredients. The textural differences we're a real treat too. That's what I love most about food, making the most of great produce and turning simple ingredients into a surprising and delicious meal. 

A few days before I tried this recipe with seared rump steak and it was nice too! But the mozzarella provided the creamy texture the dish was missing and complimenting the flavors too.

Roasted Courgette, Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella with a Herb Oil and Garlic Crumb

(Serves 2 people)

Ingredients:

- 2 slices of stale bread
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 small bunch of parsley and basil
- 2 small yellow courgettes
- 200g piccolino tomatoes (or cherry)
- 200g mozzarella di bufala
- Small handful of fresh basil (or basil flowers.if you can get them) to garnish
- Salt and black pepper

Method:

- To make the crumb pulse together the stale bread and 2 cloves of garlic in a food processor with some salt and pepper to taste. You should pulse until there are some larger pieces and finer crumbs (you don't want to over pulse the bread).
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and on a low heat fry the breadcrumbs until golden and dry without catching. The lower the heat here the more likely you will get a perfectly dry and crunchy crumb. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
- For the herb oil simply pulse the basil and parsley with olive oil (it should be quote thick) and transfer into a bowl or jar. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Chop the courgettes into 1cm rounds and slice each in half. Transfer onto a lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until browned.
- Slice half of the piccolino tomatoes in half and reserve the rest. Tear the mozzarella into bitesized chunks.
- To serve, arrange the cooked courgette and the halved and whole tomatoes at the bottom of.the plates evenly. Then amongst this the chunks of mozzarella. Dollop on the herb oil followed by some spoonfuls of the garlic crumb. Garnish with fresh basil or basil flowers.