Grilled salad of courgette, radicchio, basil and mozzarella recipe

By Tom Hunt via The Telegraph Photo by Laura Edward

You can do the courgettes either on a barbecue or in a griddle pan, and they taste great hot or cold. They’ll serve two as a side dish on their own.

If you can’t find za’atar, try making the spice mix yourself with dried oregano and thyme ground in a mortar and pestle with some sesame seeds, salt and a pinch of sumac. This salad will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for three days. Return it to room temperature to serve.

Serves four to six

160g (5¾oz) courgettes
4 tbsp light olive oil
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
½ head of radicchio, about 160g (5¾oz), cut into thinnish wedges, with core attached
120g (4½oz) buffalo mozzarella
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
couple of pinches of za-atar
100g (3½oz) black olives, pitted
finely grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
10 basil leaves

Cut the courgettes into lengthways slices about 1cm (⅓in) thick. Light a barbecue and allow the charcoals to turn white hot, then cool down a little, or heat a griddle pan on the hob. Toss the courgette slices in 2 tbsp light olive oil. Place them on the barbecue or griddle side by side, but don’t layer them on top of each other or they will sweat rather than char. After two to five minutes, they should be charred on one side. Flip over and char equally on the other side. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the red onion and radicchio in the remaining light olive oil and grill in the same way as the courgettes.

Arrange all the grilled vegetables on a platter. Tear the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces, dropping them evenly on to the plate.

Dress with a drizzle of extra-virgin oil and a sprinkle of za’atar, scatter with the olives and add the lemon zest and basil leaves.

Recipe taken from The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt, Quadrille, £20