Courgettes in the Thermomix®

When are courgettes in season?

Outdoor crop from June to September across Europe, with the peak in July and August..

• Jan–
• Feb–
• Mar–
• Apr–
• May–
• JunOutdoor crop
• JulOutdoor crop
• AugOutdoor crop
• SepOutdoor crop
• Oct–
• Nov–
• Dec–

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing courgettes

Courgettes come in green, yellow and striped (the variety ‘Striato d’Italia’). Fresh fruit feels firm, has a smooth, glossy skin and a stalk end that is still slightly moist. Small to medium courgettes (15 to 20 cm) taste more aromatic and have fewer seeds than very large ones. Giant specimens over 30 cm long are often watery and bland. Bruises, a dull surface or soft spots point to long storage.

Courgettes belong in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, where they keep unwashed for up to a week. At room temperature they lose their firmness quickly. For longer storage: slice them, blanch them (3 minutes), drain them and freeze them in portions. They go straight from the freezer into soups and bakes.

Preparing courgettes in the Thermomix®

For our courgette soup, we dice the courgettes roughly and put them into the mixing bowl with stock and cream. We cook them at 100 °C on speed 1 for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then blend for 10 seconds on speed 10, turning the speed up slowly. For courgette fritters, we grate the courgettes for 5 seconds on speed 4, then squeeze them out in a tea towel.

In the Varoma, courgette strips and slices for bakes or vegetable skewers cook in 15 to 20 minutes at Varoma temperature, depending on thickness. The slices stay firm to the bite and hold their shape. For ratatouille, we chop onions and garlic for 5 seconds on speed 5, then saute them and add the diced vegetables to cook.

The most common mistakes with courgettes

• Watery fritters. Freshly grated courgettes hold a lot of water. If you do not squeeze the mixture out thoroughly in a cloth, you get fritters that fall apart in the pan. Press them hard for at least 2 minutes.
• Mush instead of bite when cooking. Courgettes cook very quickly. In the Varoma, 1 cm thick slices need just 15 minutes at Varoma temperature. Any longer and they turn to mush. Always check just before the end.
• Buying giant courgettes. Very large courgettes over 30 cm have a hard core and taste watery. For soups and fritters, choose two small ones instead, as the result is more aromatic.

Goes well with courgettes

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

TomatoesCarrotsPotatoesBroccoliKohlrabiCucumbers

Courgettes in the monthly calendar: