Courgette and Cheese Frittata

The courgettes arrive at the market sometime in July and don't stop until September. By August, there are so many you start giving them to the neighbours. This is one of the things I make when there are more courgettes than ideas, which is to say, I make it often.

A frittata is not a recipe. It's a principle. Eggs, something from the pan, cheese if you've got it, and ten minutes under the grill. The courgettes need to be fried properly first, in butter, until they pick up some real colour and lose that raw, watery taste they carry when undercooked. Pale, steamed courgettes in eggs is nobody's idea of supper. Golden, slightly caramelised courgettes in eggs with cheddar bubbling on top is another thing entirely.

I wrote this one down in the notebook years ago. "Courgettes, eggs, cheddar, thyme. Thursday. Still warm outside." That's the whole recipe, really. The rest is just making sure you don't overcook the eggs or undercook the courgettes. A recipe is a conversation, not a contract. Treat this as a starting point and use whatever cheese is in the fridge, whatever herbs are in the garden. Your kitchen, your rules.