When life gives you lemons, make stuffed round courgettes!

I am always surprised by how inspiration strikes when you are least expecting it! I was in a bit of a humdrum situation when today’s recipe’s roots were planted in my brain.

I was just about to rid of the dreaded Saturday morning grocery ride for another whole week when I got stuck at the delivery aisle at the supermarket. There wasn’t a cashier to be found in all the supermarket apparently, so I had a bit of a wait ahead of me.

Now, that doesn’t sound so bad, I know. And there are worse situations to be in. But the fact is that I was slowly freezing to death in my summer dress as I waited nearly half an hour near the refrigerated aisles for somebody – anybody! – to deliver me from my misery and just let me pay for my food and get out of there!

I was honestly not far away from just giving up and going home empty handed when I saw it – the magazine that saved my groceries!

I wish I could tell you which food magazine it was on the strategically placed magazine rack near the tills, but I simply can’t remember. It doesn’t even matter, to be honest, because all I needed was INSPIRATION and the reminder that as long as I have my mind, I never need to be bored in less-than-exciting situations.

On the front of that glossy magazine cover was a picture of stuffed round courgettes. I had been intrigued by round courgettes for a while – how should I prepare them? Were they really that different from regular courgettes? – and this was all I needed to just get cracking with the few specimens that were lurking in my fridge at home.

I flipped through the magazine and the cashier FINALLY appeared, looking rather surly and annoyed. I didn’t pay any attention to her, paid for the groceries with a flourish and ran along home to make stuffed round courgettes for lunch.

You will need (for four people)

• Four round courgettes
• 200g fresh goat’s cheese
• 2 red onions
• Oregano
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 10 smashed walnuts
• Olive oil
• 20 leaves fresh basil
• Espelette pepper or red pepper flakes

My mix and match recipe for stuffed round courgettes!

1. Wash courgettes and boil whole for 15min.
2. While the courgettes are boiling, peel and chop the onions and crack open the walnuts. You’ll need to chop them up as well.

3. Mix together the cheese, chopped walnuts, torn basil leaves, crushed garlic, Espelette pepper, salt and pepper. Put the mixture back in the fridge.

4. Drain courgettes and run some cold water over them.

5. Do something else for about half an hour: set the table, have a glass of wine and/or hover in the kitchen waiting for the courgettes to be cold enough to touch without burning your fingers. You can also boil the courgettes ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you need them, which is what I recommend.

6. Turn on the oven at 200¤C
   

7. When the courgettes are cool to the touch, slice off the top and scoop out the flesh. Keep it to add to soup or ratatouille. Drain off any extra liquid from the empty courgettes.
8. Put the courgettes in an oven proof dish with some olive oil and fill them with the goat’s cheese mixture, right up the top. Cover with the tops.
9. Add red onions all around and between the veggies in the pan and sprinkle with oregano and olive oil; they’ll be a tasty addition and will keep the whole thing from falling over in the oven!

10. Bake for 30minutes and serve with wild rice or crusty bread.