Roasted Romano courgettes and tomatoes with wet garlic, thyme, chard and labneh

Most garlic we eat is dried, but ‘wet’ garlic makes a lovely addition to salads or roasts, as here. Its flavour is milder than dried garlic and it requires no peeling – simply chop it as you would a large spring onion.

SERVES 6

PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes, plus overnight chilling and standing

COOKING TIME about 20 minutes

2 small yellow courgettes, halved lengthways ● 2 small green courgettes, halved lengthways ● 2 small Romano courgettes, halved lengthways ● 2 small round courgettes (green or yellow), halved ● 2 heads wet garlic, cut into quarters ●

8 thyme sprigs ●

50ml olive oil, plus extra for the tomatoes and ● chard, and to serve

200g mixed heritage tomatoes, halved ● 200g rainbow chard, large stalks removed ● Juice ½ lemon ●

Courgette flowers and fresh oregano, to garnish ● FOR THE LABNEH

350g organic Greek yogurt ●

Fresh herbs, to serve, optional ●

1 To make the labneh, mix the yogurt and 1tsp salt together and place in a muslin cloth. Hang in the fridge overnight with a bowl underneath to catch

the excess liquid. You can also place the muslin in a sieve over the bowl.

2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Place the courgettes, garlic, thyme and olive oil in a roasting tray, season, and bake in the oven for 15-20min, until the courgettes are tender, but still with a little bite.

3 Place the tomatoes on another tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper and roast for 15min, or until just soft and a little browned. Add the tomatoes to the courgettes and keep warm.

4 Quickly blanch the chard in boiling salted water and drain the excess liquid. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and lemon juice.

5 To serve, spread the labneh on the base of a large serving dish before laying the tomatoes and courgettes on top and drizzling over some of the pan juices. Scatter the chard over the courgettes and garnish with courgette flowers and oregano. Alternatively, serve the labneh on the side, dressed with olive oil and fresh herbs.

‘WET GARLIC MAKES A LOVELY ADDITION TO ROASTS’