Meera Sodha’s recipe for fried courgette, black bean and goat’s cheese tacos

I first fell for fried courgettes after watching Stanley Tucci eat spaghetti alla Nerano. A booked table at Lo Scoglio da Tommaso in Nerano fell through when a car broke down, so my husband, Hugh, made the pasta when we returned home. We were astonished at how much flavour came from frying courgettes until bronzed, and I’ve been using them in all sorts of ways ever since; this taco is my favourite.

Put on a good album or podcast while you fry the courgettes, because once you start you need to keep an eye on them. Soft corn tortillas can be found in larger supermarkets and online; if you can’t find them, use small wheat ones instead. Ingredients: rapeseed oil; 800g courgettes (3–4 medium), trimmed and cut into 5mm-thin coins; 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced; 1 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed; 1½ tbsp chipotle paste; 1 tsp fine sea salt; juice of 2–3 limes (to get 2½ tbsp); 15g coriander leaves and thin stems, chopped; 80g mild hard goat’s cheese, cut into small paper-thin shards; small corn tortillas, to serve.

meera sodha, fried courgette, black beans, goat cheese, corn tortillas, chipotle paste, rapeseed oil, lime juice, stanley tucci, tacos