Sauntering across the farmers' market yard the other day, I was greeted by my veg lady yelling "We've got tonnes of courgettes for you this week! Round ones!" And she certainly wasn't kidding - bushels full, and baskets of these fantastic little 'snooker-ball' courgettes. I'm not even making this name up. That's what they're called. About the size of a pattypan, but completely spherical, smooth, and firm. Upon seeing them, I immediately thought "stuffed!".
So that's what became of them. I bought four - two green, two yellow - to test them out. They were surprisingly juicy and soft, so unlike a pattypan, and the touch of sea salt I sprinkled into the base of each one really made the difference. I stuffed them with a mixture of sauteed onions, garlic, tomato, basil, rice, and the fluffy bits from inside each courgette. They were topped off with a parmesan crumb mix, which went crisp and salty in the oven. I also stuffed an errant aubergine, as it was on hand and equally delicious (though M preferred the courgette and actually stole half of one in return for an aubergine).
By all means use regular courgettes for this, so long as they're smallish and firm. And from a local market, not the supermarket where they've likely been sitting around for a while seeping flavour.
*****
Stuffed Snooker-Ball Courgettes
4 courgettes, washed and tops cut off
1/3 cup rice, cooked
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 (200 C). Scoop out the centres of your courgettes, leaving a bit of flesh behind. Chop up the fluffy bits to go in the filling. Heat a pan over medium heat and fry your onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a bit of olive oil. Add your courgette bits and rice, seasoning well. Stir through your basil and set the mixture aside to cool a tiny bit.
Drizzle a tiny drop of olive oil inside each courgette and give it a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon in your filling, packing it down with your hands. In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan and bread crumbs, seasoning, and sprinkle on top of your stuffed courgettes. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden and tender.
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