Stuffed globe courgette

C is ill. He is lying around with tonsillitis and an earache :(

So I wanted to cook something special; it should be soft so the swallowing wouldn't become too hard and it shouldn't be too spicy or sour to not irritate his already inflamed throat. Plus it should contain antiseptic ingredients like onion, garlic, thyme.

I remembered a wonderful recipe I found at Béa's blog La Tartine Gourmande, 'Globe zucchini flavored with marjoram and stuffed with sweet potato'. The recipe (which is alas not vegetarian) can be found here. Apart from inspiring recipes (after all she is a real pro, her recipes appeared in food magazines, books and on French TV), her beautiful photos are really worth visiting her blog.

So I decided to roll up my sleeves and start veganizing her recipe. I couldn't find Japanese sweet potato, so I used ordinary orange fleshed sweet potatoes. Instead of ham I used chopped up sundried tomatoes and replaced the egg with a spoonfull of vegan mayonnaise.

And this is the result: super delicious stuffed globe courgette (remainders of the stuffing on the side).

And here is the vegan version:

Stuffed globe courgette

serves 2

Ingredients:

3 small globe courgette

1 sweet potato, grated on the coarse side of your grater

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 celery branches, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped marjoram

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon thyme leaves (scrape them gently from the stalks with a knife, or bundle up and remove after cooking)

herbal salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for frying

zest of lemon, finely grated

2 tablespoons vegan parmesan (you can use gomasio or chopped roasted pine nuts or omit altogether)

4 halves sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 180° C.
• Slice a small piece off at the top of the courgette and set aside. Scoop the flesh out with a teaspoon. Make sure you don't scrape through the shell! Chop the flesh of the courgette and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a pan and add onion, celery, lemon zest, and thyme. Fry over medium heat for a couple of minutes; don't forget to stir or your onions will burn!
• Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add grated sweet potato and courgette flesh. Stir well, cover with a lid and let simmer for 10 minutes or so.
• Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, vegan parmesan (if using), and mayonnaise. Season carefully with herbal salt and pepper. It shouldn't need too much salt.
• Stuff the courgette shells with this mixture and place the preserved top back on top of the courgette. Place in an oven proof dish.
• Drizzle olive oil over the courgette and add half a cup of cold water
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until courgette is soft (prick the shell with a sharp knife).
• Season the jus with some herbal salt, pour it over the courgette, and serve with rice or French Bread
• Enjoy :)