Greek Courgette in Tomato Sauce (Kolokithakia Yiahni)

Kolokithakia yiahni takes the same onion-and-tomato braising style that defines fasolakia lathera and melitzanes yahni and applies it to courgette, which cooks considerably faster than green beans or aubergine and makes this one of the quickest ladera dishes to put together on a summer evening.

Courgette breaks down readily once simmered, so the technique here rewards a slightly gentler hand than aubergine or beans need, checking earlier and often rather than assuming it needs the same length of time as its slower-cooking relatives.

This is genuine everyday vegetable cookery, eaten warm or at room temperature with bread and feta, or as a side to grilled meat or fish.

Key preparation steps

1. Cut courgette into thick chunks.
2. Build an onion and tomato sauce.
3. Simmer the courgette gently until soft but not collapsed.
4. Finish uncovered to thicken the sauce.

Cutting the courgette

Cut the courgette into thick rounds or chunks, around three centimetres, rather than thin slices, since thin pieces disintegrate too quickly in the simmering sauce. Choose firm, smaller courgettes if you can, since very large ones can be watery and less flavourful.

The sauce

Cook a generous amount of onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, then add tinned or grated tomato and a little sugar to balance any sharpness, exactly the same base used across the whole yahni family of ladera dishes.

A gentler simmer than its relatives

Add the courgette to the sauce and simmer gently, mostly covered, checking from fifteen minutes onwards, since courgette cooks through considerably faster than aubergine or green beans and can turn to mush if left as long as those tougher vegetables need. Finish uncovered for the final five to ten minutes to reduce the sauce.

What matters in this dish