Looking out of the window in my studio, I am a little saddened by the fact that it is already dark at 8.30. The days are getting shorter and a little colder..already? However, looking at my veg plot you wouldn’t know to look at it. My courgettes are thriving,  and with each plant producing a lovely shiny courgette a day, I am harvesting more than 10 a week. This means that courgettes are on the menu most nights, and as I’m not one for making the same dish more than once a month, I’m having to work hard to keep this productive veg interesting. A few weeks ago, I created a couple of courgette recipes for my local farm shop, as they too have a bounty of emerald green fruits, just waiting to be put into a delicious veggie recipe!

Here is one of the recipes;

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Baked Courgette with Mushroom, Sage and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

Serves 2 as lunch or 4 as a starter.

Ingredients

4 small courgettes

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

50g fresh breadcrumbs

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

5-6 button mushrooms

2 tsp dried cranberries or raisins

4 sage leaves

freshly ground salt and pepper

a splash of organic olive oil

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Finely chop the onion, garlic and mushrooms, then gently fry on medium heat in a frying pan with the olive oil, until soft.

Add the breadcrumbs, sage, seeds, berries, salt and pepper and fry for a further minute. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and blanch the whole courgettes for 2 min.

Drain and cut length ways. Place the courgettes in an oven proof dish and pile the filling on top. Bake for 20 min, at 200c  and serve with a crisp salad.

Note:

There is no need to scoop out the tasty flesh of the courgettes when they are young and tender. Just pile the stuffing on top.