I was looking for something quick and simple to do with a globe courgette and a patty pan. They were harvested from our allotment a couple of days earlier and needed using before they went off in the bottom of the fridge. Since we have always enjoyed stuffed peppers or beef tomatoes I decided to stuff them. Paul always has a giggle at my expense when I grab my iPad and start perusing recipes but, being only a baby domestic goddess, I still need a little reassurance that I am doing things in the right order. I found several recipes, many of which used fancy ingredients or had me doing all sorts of unnecessary preparation, so one by one I discarded them; I mean, stuffing a courgette isn’t exactly rocket science, is it? I eventually stumbled across just what I needed. Simple ingredients, simple preparation, simple instructions. The one brilliant tip I gleaned from this recipe was to bake the courgette shells before stuffing them to ensure everything was thoroughly cooked at the same time. It also stated that it could be easily adapted to suit taste and available ingredients so I used the recipe as a base and added ingredients I had in the fridge and store cupboard.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized summer squash – patty pan or globe courgettes – per person
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup couscous
- 1-2 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp ground coriander
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C
- Grease a casserole dish with olive oil
- Cut the tops off the courgettes but keep them to make lids. Scoop out the centre of the courgettes leaving a shell 1cm thick.
- Place courgette shells into casserole dish and bake in the oven until just soft, about 30-35 minutes
- Roughly chop the flesh of the courgettes. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and sauté until soft. Remove from pan and set aside
- Add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the onions and red pepper until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further few minutes
- Add the tomatoes and tomato purée to the pan and mix with onions and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes soften. Add the courgette flesh and herbs, mix well and season to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside
- Prepare couscous as per packet instructions and when ready add to the pan and mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into the courgette shells and pop their tops back on. Drizzle with a little oil and bake in the oven until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. The courgettes should be soft but retain their shape.
- Allow to rest for a few minutes and serve
Notes
Use beef tomatoes, peppers or marrows as alternatives to the courgettes.
Use minced beef or chicken if you like meat. Sausage meat is another good filling. Other veggies such as sweetcorn can be mixed in. Try raisins, dried apricots, cumin and coriander for a hint of North Africa. Try other herbs and spices. Experiment with your fillings.
I used my halogen oven but I think they would have cooked better using the oven.