We’ve had a very impressive crop of courgettes this year and there’s nothing better than eating the fruits of your labour fresh from the garden. Here’s a delicious and fast recipe for stuffed courgettes. Depending on how hungry you are / what meal this is for, it can be served as a vegetarian starter or as a main with a poached chicken breast or anything that takes your fancy!

For 2 people, you’ll need:
2 large courgettes, or 4 small ones
1 cupful of rice
1 red onion
1 large tomato
1 small red pepper
Sweetcorn
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp of mixed herbs
Grated cheese (leave this out for a vegan option)

Peel your courgette completely (or peel it into ‘stripes’ if you prefer) and slice it down the middle lengthways. With a sharp knife, hollow it out a bit, and save the middle parts of the courgette to one side.

Place the courgettes in the oven with a bit of extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil or steam your rice. While the rice is cooking, finely chop the red onion, small red pepper, tomato and the remaining courgette middles.

Drain the rice and incorporate the chopped vegetables into the rice.

Take the courgettes out the oven and fill them with the vegetable rice mix. Top with grated cheese and mixed herbs, and return to the oven for 10 minutes to crispen up.

Stuff. Stuff. Stuff – staff – staffage – stave – stay – stale – stalactite – sit tight.