My mother made this dish called 'courgette with corn' so many times when I was younger. She loved it. I can see why, as it's easy to make and it got plenty of vegetables into us. It's basically a cross between a stew and a chunky soup and it is served with rice. It's very tasty too. I however, missed the whole point of it for a long time as I used to hate it with a passion.
When I was about 15 I had an incident of food poisoning with pasta and courgettes. Nasty, nasty bout. I went off courgettes for about 15 years! It wasn't until after I moved to Ireland that I started eating courgettes again, and even now I only eat them in certain ways. This dish must have been very, very popular at home, as every time I make it, the smells fill me with warm memories of my mother and her kitchen. Perhaps that is the reason why I now like it so much!
I use pork chops, but in reality you can use any pork meat you like as long as it's cut in bite size chunks. Try and cut all the vegetable in similar sizes, but leave the courgettes a little chunkier to help them keep their form. It's one of those dishes where the star of the show isn't the meat, it's more about the courgettes and corn and the meat is just flavour. It goes a long way. Enjoy!
Start by making the sauce. Put the tomato, garlic, pepper, salt, stock cube and water in the blender (or food processor) and blitz everything until completely smooth. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the meat and cook it at medium to high heat until the meat starts releasing its juices. At this point, add the onion and peppers and mix well. Cook this for about two minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the chunks of courgette and the sweet corn and mix until everything is incorporated.
Follow by adding the sauce you prepared on step one. Mix well and cook at medium heat uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes or until everything is cooked.
This dish is very easy to make and super tasty. I love the rustic taste of the courgettes and the corn. It keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge but I don't like the way it freezes, the courgettes lose most of their texture when thawed out, so better made fresh or a day in advance. Serve it with a portion of boiled rice or if you like, with a side of Mexican Red Rice. Either way it's delicious!
