Courgettes weren’t much known in Britain until the 1970s, when continental influences contributed to the transformation of our everyday cuisine. 

The plant, whose botanical name is Cucurbita pepo, was certainly around but the fruits tended to be left to grow to a couple of feet in length and were eaten as “vegetable marrow.” 

Of course, this option is still available and stuffed marrow remains for many people a staple of autumn cooking. 

At this time of year, young, small courgettes start to be available in enough abundance to be relatively cheap. 

I grow my own and so have — possibly literally — a thousand ways to cook them. 

This is a straightforward recipe, and if you don’t like my choice of herbs and spices, don’t worry. You can change them, adding chilli, for instance, if you want more pep. 

Tahini, or sesame paste, is now widely available and you should have no trouble finding it. The same goes for sesame seeds.

• 2lb/900g potatoes,
  sliced quite thickly 
• 1lb/450g courgettes, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
• Finely chopped fresh parsley, about two tbsp
• Finely chopped fresh basil, about two tbsp
• 8oz/220g mild crumbly cheese — eg mild Cheshire, Wensleydale, Caerphilly — crumbled
• 1 standard can tomatoes, drained and chopped small
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp mild curry powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/mark 4. 

Steam or boil the potatoes until almost cooked, but not quite. 

Meanwhile, mix together the tomatoes, tomato purée, cheese, tahini, herbs, curry powder — if using — and seasoning. 

Grease an oven-proof dish and layer the ingredients in it as follows: half of the potatoes, a third of the tomato mixture, all of the courgettes, another third of the tomato mixture, the rest of the spuds and lastly the rest of the tomato mixture. 

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 30 minutes. 

Pass a knife through to make sure the vegetables are cooked through, then serve.