Carpaccio di Courgettes

Carpaccio was originally only used to refer to a dish of thinly sliced red beef, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, capers and onions. It was first served at Harry's bar in Venice and named after the  16th century venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio  who loved painting with red pigments.
Now you will often see a dish described as Carpaccio on a menu in Italy and it might not be meat, it could be anything that is served raw and thinly sliced then dressed with seasoning.
If you are lucky enough to have a friend who grows their own courgettes then make a refreshing Carpaccio di Courgettes. You can serve it as a main course salad or just a side dish.

Carpaccio di Zucchini, courgettes

Serves 4 as a side dish

4 courgettes, preferably organic, washed well and dried
juice of one lemon
olive oil
pine nuts, very lightly browned in a non-stick pan
slices of parmesan cheese, optional


Slice the courgettes as thinly as you can and arrange them on a pretty dish

Drizzle over some lemon juice, then the olive oil
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Scatter over the pine nuts and thinly sliced parmesan if using.