Hugo blogs,  Savoury

Courgette fritters and The Naked Mountain

Courgette fritters

I apologise for my lack of blog posts lately. I’ve taken on a full-time nocturnal job keeping the wild boar at bay, which means that I sleep all day, and don’t have time for my more intellectual pursuits. Many people — I would say fans if I were immodest — have asked after me, so here I am slaving away at the computer, and not snoring on the sofa. I just hope my return doesn’t break the internet.

Bossy was absolutely hell-bent on skiing in the Pyrenees this winter, although the odds were heavily stacked against. Due to the human pandemic, there aren’t any ski lifts this year, which means that cross country is the way forward (see what I did there? I’m delighted I haven’t lost my wit). She spent weeks studying the likelihood of further lockdowns, the best places nearby for cross country skiing, how to cross country ski (she tried it once before and ended up in a river), the necessary gear, and The Noisy One’s availability. The Tall One doesn’t buy into Bossy’s hair-brained ski trips anymore. Once was enough for him; he’s a sensible man.

Flapping and no chains

On the morning of departure, Bossy started to flap like one of those awful pigeons her husband fawns over. All because she’d forgotten to buy chains for the car’s wheels. She decided to risk it anyway, and, thankfully, off she and Noisy went.

I’m not an unkind dog, and certainly not one that takes pleasure in other people’s misfortune, but when they came back exhausted and covered in mud and not snow, I confess that my inner laughter gave way to uncontrollable outer laughter. She’d ‘closely monitored’ many things before departure, but ‘snowfall’ hadn’t made it to her list; they arrived to sunny 15°C and stark naked green mountains.

They went for a nice hike instead and managed to get thoroughly lost (there was talk of ending up at the top of the wrong mountain). On the upside (I did it again!), at least they hadn’t needed to worry about snow chains for the mountain pass *snigger*…

Thankfully Bossy’s courgette fritters are better than her organisational skills. I’m not a fan of vegetables (I spit them out for Java to eat), but these are light, crispy and succulent all at the same time.

Recipe for courgette fritters (serves 3-4)

  • 150g chickpea (gram) flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli or curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 150ml lukewarm water
  • 4 medium-sized courgettes
  • Olive oil

Sift the flour, seasoning and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl, and add the water, mixing well to form a batter. Leave to rest for about 30 minutes. If the mixture thickens too much, add more water.

Top and tail the courgettes and peel if the skin is tough. Cut in half and then slice lengthways, quite finely (1-2mm). Coat well with the batter and fry in olive oil until golden.

4 Comments

  • Sally

    Dear Hugo, I’d love to go on one of Bossy’s walks with her. Sounds perfect. Especially with these fritters afterwards. Great puns btw

  • kristenann

    Hugo! I’m so happy to read your cleverness and wit again! I must say that the excursion looks lovely to me, despite there being a lack of snow :0). The courgette fritters sound like a great way to get veggies into my son with the same view of veggies as you. Thanks for sharing!

    • The Healthy Epicurean

      Hi Kristen, thank you for your comment – it’s nice to feel appreciated for once! I hope your son likes courgettes better than Noisy, who says they’re like eating fishtank slime! Love from Hugo

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