Stuffed Zucchini/Courgettes with Cheese

Have you ever been hungry for pizza but felt something healthier would be a better option?

My suggestion for you is to try making stuffed zucchini/courgettes with cheese.  Many of the kids in my cooking courses over the years, liked it so well they made it frequently in their own homes.  Today I prepared it with one of my daughter’s friends in a few minutes.  We’ll bake it in a couple of hours when the other family members return for the evening meal.  It’s best served straight from the oven with the ricotta and Parmesan cheese hot and oozing.  

Start with boiling/steaming six medium-large zucchini/courgettes for five minutes.  Drain and then allow to cool in a pan of cold water.  Drain again.  With a large knife, slice each right down the middle vertically.  Scoop the pulp out with a teaspoon from each and save in a large bowl.  The casings can all be placed in one layer in a roasting pan.  In the food processor, crumb one slice of any bread.  Add a little dried oregano, salt and pepper, and mix again.  Cut the zucchini/courgette pulp scrapings into chunks about the size of a teaspoon.  Add a tub of ricotta or cottage cheese (I use one that is 250g),  2 heaping tablespoons of grated Parmesan, one teaspoon of garlic puree and one egg yolk.  Mix together and spoon evenly into the zucchini/courgette shells.  

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown in a 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 oven.  Serves  four.  Enjoy.