Stuffed courgettes: a simple and tasty recipe

The stuffed courgettes are traditional in several Italian regions. In Emilia, they are filled with a stuffing containing part of the flesh of vegetables, beef, eggs, parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and eaten with meatballs. In Romagna, where they are really popular, are filled with a mixture of garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs or crumb, (in Rimini area often also minced mortadella) and browned in the pan: during cooking in olive oil, every courgette must be rotated lightly for more times, in order to colour properly the whole surface. Otherwise they are stewed, with tomato sauce. They can also be baked. Stuffed courgettes are also mentioned in the important cuisine work The Genoese cook (1863), where they are filled with mushrooms, eggs, curd and crumb…

· Difficoltà: Facile (Difficulty: Easy)
· Preparazione: 15 min (Preparation: 15 min)
· Cottura: 45 min (Cooking: 45 min)
· Dosi per: 4 persone (Doses per: 4 peopl

Ingredients:

  • Courgettes (for about 300 g each)

  • Mince of pork 200 g

  • Pork sausage 150 g

  • Medium eggs 1

  • Grana Padano PDO 100 g

  • Black pepper as required

  • Table Salt as required

  • Extra virgin olive oil as required

  • Breadcrumbs 100 g

  • Chopped Parsley as required]

Preparation:

To prepare stuffed courgettes, start to wash courgettes without clipping, then cut them in half lengthwise. Now with a sugar spoon extract courgettes pulp, you will get about 400 g, don’t empty them completely. Salt empty courgettes and set aside. Scoop the courgettes pulp. In a container pour the courgettes pulp, pork minced and sausage without gut. Pour egg, breadcrumbs and Grana Padano PDO. Complete with chopped parsley, salt and black pepper. Knead with hands. Once mixed the dough, take a baking tray, grease the bottom with oil and fill inside the courgettes with stuffing, taking care to compact them properly. Lay courgettes down on the baking tray and spread a drizzle of oil on top. Bake in a ventilated oven already hot at 190 degrees for 40 minutes. Change the grill mode at 240 degrees for about 5 minutes. Take stuffed courgettes out of the oven and let them cool down before serving them.

NB: Store stuffed courgettes in a fridge in a hermetic container for maximum 1-2 days. You can freeze them if you have used fresh ingredients, not defrosted.