Chef Series: Brother Marcus Courgette & Walnut Loaf

Chefs Series
By Patrick Dunne | 30th August 2023
Chef Series Brother Marcus

We’re still clinging on to the last embers of summer here, and this week’s Chefs Series is going Greek with the help of Tas Gaitanos from Brother Marcus. This courgette and walnut loaf recipe is light yet intensely flavoured and makes the perfect match with a morning coffee.

Both courgettes and walnuts are popular Eastern Mediterranean ingredients and star in many types of dishes. Walnuts in particular have a special place in the heart of Greeks, they are often eaten with honey at weddings as a symbol of fertility. Brother Marcus was created by three best friends, Arthur, Alex and Tas Gaitanos, who specialise in bringing Mediterranean food to London, with Gaitanos as the head chef. After first opening in 2016, it has grown to three locations in Borough Market, Spitalifields and Angel, specialising in cult weekend brunches and Cretan supper clubs.

Courgette and walnut loaf

Method‌

  1. Preheat the oven to 170c
  2. Grate the courgettes and put in a colander or sieve set over a bowl
  3. Sprinkle it with the salt and set aside for 20 minutes to allow the slat to draw out the moisture
  4. Use your hands to wring out any excess moisture from the courgette
  5. Scatter walnuts on a baking tray and lightly roast them for 8-10 minutes
  6. When cool enough to handle, roughly break them up using your hands and rub off their skins and discard them
  7. In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, egg and grated courgette, then slowly mix in the oil and add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
  8. Pour the mixture into greased loaf tins and put them in a fridge for 1 hour before baking
  9. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden
  10. Allow to cool before removing from the tins

Ingredients

  • 125g courgettes (½ medium courgette)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 90g walnuts
  • 110g self-raising flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 95ml vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 small loaf tins (20 x 10 x 6cm) buttered and lined with parchment paper
Brother Marcus

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