I spied the first flower on my zucchini plants today and immediately thought of that most summer of conundrums – what to do with a glut of zucchini?

So my cheesey friends time to try a recipe I saw months ago, though it’s less of a recipe and more of an idea, in a Nigel Slater-y way. You could serve it on a bed of summer leaves, add a lemony dressing and crusty bread for a more substantial dish. As it is, it makes a great summer-time starter or lunch.

Pecorino is an Italian sheep’s milk cheese and while I’ve written about the Sardinian style, you’ll want Pecorino Romano for this. It’s the cheese used for grating in the dry Southern parts of Italy where goat and sheep cheeses dominate. Parmesan and Grana Padana are the cow’s versions from the greener lands up north.
Sardinian Pecorino

Pecorino is hard and dry with a salty savoury-ness, its piquancy balances perfectly with  sweet, syrupy honey. I used the drizzly Beechwood Honeydew from J Friend & Co.

Salty, sweet and smokey – this has summer written all over it. I liked a Pinot Gris, dry Riesling or even a Chardonnay with this.

Grilled Zucchini, Pecorino drizzled in honey

Zucchini – one per person
A block of Pecorino – you want to be generous
A liquid honey – you’ll need about a half teaspoon for each person
Salt flakes and ground pepper
Olive Oil

Heat up a ridged grill pan or your barbeque grill till it is good and hot.

Slice the zucchini on the diagonal, about 3mm thick.  Brush with oil on both sides and place on the grill pan with the ridges on a diagonal. Don’t crowd them or they’ll steam rather than grill.

Try not to move them round or you’ll lose the grill lines, just lift a corner to check. Grill on both sides and keep warm on kitchen towels until you’ve cooked them all in batches.

Plate up by making little zucchini mounds, sprinkle with a skimpy slosh of oil and a generous pinch of salt flakes, add a grind or two of pepper.

Cover with shavings of Pecorino – I use a vegetable peeler.

Finish with a drizzle of honey. I found a cold teaspoon best. Hold the spoon of honey over the jar to catch the first big blob, then swizzle it round the mound of zucchini and cheese.

Serve, enjoy and rest assured you now only need a hundred things to do with your impending zucchini glut!