Stuffed courgettes

Roasted courgette, couscous, tzatziki 

Don't be fooled, this is no ordinary stuffed-vegetable-dish. The flavours in this recipe are fresh, exciting and will even impress the non-vegetarian dinner guests. The subtle flavours of the roasted courgette, sun-dried tomato couscous and peppers provide a delicate setting for that salty goats cheese. The additional sweetness of the dates offsets the salty cheese beautifully and adds an element of surprise to the dish. 

My boyfriend actually created this recipe and I was so impressed I stole it off him and have now made it more times than him. 

This is great served as a starter (serving half a stuffed courgette per person served with some fresh tzatziki), as a side dish, or main dish (serving a whole courgette per person with some homemade coleslaw).

For this dish, I cheat a little bit. I buy a packet of Alfez sun-dried tomato flavoured couscous which is available in most supermarkets (UK & Dutch, see image). However, you can of course make your own using 150g plain couscous, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato puree, 80g finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tsp garlic puree, fresh herbs (chopped parsley would work well) and salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients: 

• 4 medium (equal) sized courgettes
• olive oil
• 1 red or yellow pepper
• 1 (200g) packet flavoured couscous
• 50g dates
• 75g goats cheese
• lemon juice (optional)
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. 2. Chop the ends off and carefully slice the courgettes length ways.
3. 3. With a spoon (or an apple corer) remove the flesh of the courgette (see image).
4. 4. Repeat with all 7 remaining courgette halves.
5. 5. Place in a large oven dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
6. 6. Cook in the oven for 20- 25 minutes.
7. 7. While the courgettes are cooking, prepare the couscous filling.
8. 8. Add water to the couscous and set aside (according to the instructions on the packet).
9. 9. Finely chop the pepper, goats cheese and dates.
10. 10. Stir the chopped pepper, goats cheese, dates into the couscous.
11. 11. Add a squirt of lemon (optional) and stir throughly. 
12. 12. Fill each of the roasted courgettes halves with generous portion of the couscous, and lightly drizzle with olive oil. 
13. 13. Return to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
14. 14. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy! 

Serving suggestion: Serve half a courgette as a starter with some fresh tzatziki dipping sauce or serve a whole courgette as a main dish with some homemade coleslaw and crusty bread on the table. 

Alfez sundried tomato couscous

3 medium courgettes ready to roast