Braised Courgettes with White Beans, Goat's Cheese & Pistou

Heat your grill. Finely slice the courgettes into roughly ½cm-thick rounds. Finely slice the red onion and ⅔ of the garlic cloves.

Add everything to a large, shallow saucepan or casserole and place over a medium heat with ⅓ of the olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 10 mins until the courgettes have softened (you want them to still hold their shape).

While the courgettes cook, make the pistou. In a pestle and mortar, crush the remaining garlic clove with a pinch of salt into a paste. Add the basil leaves a handful at a time until everything is blended to a rough paste. You could also do this in a small blender. Stir through another ⅓ of the olive oil and the zest and juice of half of your lemon. Set aside.

Add the jar of beans and its liquid to the courgettes and cook for 3 mins. Remove from the heat, squeeze in the remaining lemon, stir through and taste for seasoning.

Tear the baguette into 5cm chunks. Transfer to a bowl with the rest of the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Space the baguette chunks evenly across the top of the courgette and beans, slightly submerging them.

Dot tablespoons of the goats’ cheese in the remaining spaces, then sprinkle over some finely sliced chilli, if you like. Place under the grill for 3-4 mins until the baguette is golden and toasty.

Drizzle over the pistou and serve with extra chunks of bread, for mopping.