Stuffed Courgettes on a Sunday

Why do I have to be fancy and call them courgettes?

They are just boring old zucchini, but once stuffed, they become gorgeous green boats of goodness. Courgettes make them sound special.

Growing up, my Italian friends' moms always made stuffed squash and fried zucchini flowers. This was all foreign to my family, who did not have a vegetable garden and only ate iceberg lettuce. (I am always complaining.....my poor mother).

Well my Italian friends Marie and Linda are always stuffing vegetables, so I decided to stuff some little pickles (zucchini) on a Sunday for the weekly Sunday feast.

This took some time, but it was so worth it.

Stuffed Zucchini w/ Sausage:

about 6 small zucchinis, cut in half, length wise
1 lb. of good Italian sweet or hot sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
handful of tomatoes, chopped
handful of fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley & oregano
a little meat from the scooped out zucchini (about 2), the rest discarded
1 egg
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of fresh or dried breadcrumbs
kosher salt
olive oil

The easiest way to scoop out your zucchini meat is by using a melon baller.
This was a cinch. I saved the meat from 2 of the zucchinis for my stuffing.



After you have scooped out the middles of the zucchini, sprinkle lots of kosher salt over your squash and lay them face down on paper towels while you are making the stuffing. This will get rid of most of the moisture.



Stuffing:
In a large heavy skillet, heat your olive oil and saute your sausage meat (casings removed), breaking the sausage up until it looks like they are browning.

Then add your onions, zucchini meat and garlic and keep stirring.

Add a tablespoon of salt to the mixture.

Throw in some tomatoes and your fresh herbs and saute another 2 minutes.

Here is the good part: Throw in your fresh or dried breadcrumbs with a little more oil directly into the pan, so the crumbs toast along with the sausage!



Place all of these ingredients from the skillet into a big bowl and add 1/2 cup of cheese and one egg. Mix all together.
Now you are ready to get to work!

With a tablespoon, stuff your zucchini boats w/ your sausage stuffing.
Lay in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.



Bake at 375 for 40 minutes!