ZUCCHINI BREAD

For all those out there who have an embarrassment of courgettes here is a novel way of dealing with the wretched things,


1lb small courgettes

1 teaspoon of salt

8 oz caster sugar

6 fl oz sunflower oil plus extra for greasing

3 eggs

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

quarter teaspoon baking powder

one and a half teaspoons of cinnamon

2 oz raisins

3 oz walnuts
7peel and grate the courgettes. Toss them with the salt and leave them for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180oC, grease a 92 square tin and line with greased proof paper. Combine the sugar and oil and whisk for several minutes until they are well blended.\beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the dry ingredients together and then stir them in to the egg mixture.

Take handfuls of the courgette and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Disgcard the liquid and add the courgettes to the batter,stir in the raisins and walnuts then turn in to the prepared tin and bake for one and a quarter hours ,or until the sides come away from the tin. Leave in the tin for five minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool.

Try this as a tea bread ,or toasted with honey or jam.