Singing of summer, this is one of those beautiful dishes that’s at its best when made with bang-in-season courgettes and tomatoes. An utter joy.
Serves: 2 as a main / 4 as a side
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe tomatoes
- 10g shelled unsalted pistachios
- 125g ricotta cheese
- 1 lemon
- 400g baby courgettes
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs of basil
Method
- Light the barbecue (see HOW TO SET UP A CHARCOAL BARBECUE). Grill the tomatoes whole on the hot zone, lid on, vents open, for 10 minutes, or until blackened and softened. Meanwhile, crush the pistachios in a pestle and mortar or finely chop. Beat the ricotta with half the lemon juice, season to perfection and spread across a serving platter.
- Remove the tomatoes to your board and add the courgettes to the hot zone, halving any larger ones lengthways. Grill for 12 minutes, or until softened and nicely bar-marked, turning regularly with tongs.
- Meanwhile, scrape away and discard the bigger bits of blackened skin from the tomatoes. Quarter them and remove the core, then, in a shallow bowl, mush them up with a fork. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and season to perfection.
- Transfer the cooked courgettes straight into the tomato dressing and toss well. Pile them on top of the ricotta, spooning over any excess dressing. Sprinkle over the nuts, tear over the basil leaves, and serve. Great as it is, alongside my Classic leg of lamb (page 144), or as part of a bigger spread.
How to set up a charcoal barbecue
For this recipe you need a 50/50 set up. Simply pile all your coals evenly into one half of the barbecue, leaving the other half clear. This gives you a clear hot zone and cool zone, with a medium area in the middle where you can get the best of both worlds. This set-up is helpful for recipes where you need to sear or get something going over direct heat but then want to give it time to cook through more gently over indirect heat.
EASY SWAP
Feel free to use regular courgettes instead – simply quarter them lengthways before cooking.
|
ENERGY |
FAT |
SAT FAT |
PROTEIN |
CARBS |
SUGARS |
SALT |
FIBRE |
|
113kcal |
8.4g |
2.9g |
4.9g |
5.3g |
4.7g |
0.1g |
1.6g |
BBQ by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2026, BBQ). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2026.
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