Warming Courgette Salad

My grandmother and I used to go to parks to pick up pine cones from the ground.  We'd bring it home, break it apart and out came pine nuts.  Therefore I see no reason why pine nuts are so heartbreakingly expensive in stores.

I love the idea of foraging, or at least having my own little garden with vegetables and herbs.  Too bad I've never been able to keep any herb plant alive for more than a couple of days, and I have absolutely no interest in gardening.  I remember in secondary school our Science teacher told us all to try growing a basil plant to prepare us for parenthood....Yea I'd be a very negligent mother.  I think I just need to find a partner who can keep a garden or better yet, be rich enough to hire a gardener to grow the vegetables of my dreams.
I've always wanted to go fishing, actually.  I want to return home and cook a fish that I have caught myself -- I don't think there'd anything quite as satisfying as that.  I'm thinking of just going up the shores one of these days, approaching a fisherman and just asking if I could be his apprentice for the day.  That's not weird, right? 

Everything here is store bought unfortunately... It's a very nice dish nonetheless.  I had the hardest time trying to name this.  It's..warming because..well, yes, it is a warm dish but I always find pine nuts comforting and soul-warming.  Maybe it's because they remind of those pine cone foraging days with my grandmother.

Serves 2 as a side 
Ingredients
3 medium courgettes
2 tbsp pine nuts
30g parmesan
1 garlic clove
extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Method
Cut the ends off the courgettes and peel them lengthway into strips, or use a mandolin. 

Mince the garlic clove and fry in a pan with plenty of olive oil.  When fragrant, add the courgettes and toss for a few minutes.  Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and plenty of black pepper. 

In a separate pan, toast the pine nuts until brown and fragrant.  Add to the courgettes along with parmesan shavings.