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The flu has hit the Italian foodie house again, Bru got it last Monday along with a really bad eye infection so he has been bed bound since. I ended up getting it again from him but had to work as he was so bad, unfortunately you can’t ring in sick when you’re self employed so we put down a really horrible week but we both feel much better today so we’re on the mend. Everybody seems to have been hit with it and I can honestly say it’s the worst dose I’ve ever seen. As a result I haven’t cooked much this week but I made these stuffed courgettes last Sunday to have with some Parmesan mash and  fillet steaks from my local butcher Jim Flavin who was on the “telly” this week, he’s turning into a right little celebrity. I have to say there is no comparison between his meat and the meat available from the supermarket. The fillets were excellent, so tender and full of flavour and cut fresh in front of you, I always get a couple of medallions for the princess and she loves them. I cook my steaks very simply on a heated grill pan, seasoned with salt and pepper, rubbed with oil, cooked rare, remove and add some red wine and a little water, reduce and serve – delicious!!

Stuffed vegetables are very popular in Italian cuisine, they stuff everything – tomatoes, peppers, onions, aubergines and courgettes. I often do a stuffed courgette with mince which I will blog about at some stage but as we were having fillet I decided to go with a vegetarian stuffing with what I had in the fridge and they were a big hit in the italian foodie house. Just a quick note on the cooking, Italians tend to eat their vegetables quite soft whereas we eat them a with more of a bite in Ireland so you can skip the first step of cooking the shells if you like your vegetables crunchy!

what you need for 2-4:

2 courgettes cut in half

200g cherry tomatoes on the vine

8 basil leaves

1 garlic clove

1 mozzarella ball

grated Parmesan

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

what to do:

pre- heat the oven to 190 degrees

scoop the flesh out of your courgette with a spoon being careful not to break the skin, place on a baking or oven tray skin side up, drizzle with olive oil and cook for about 10 mins.

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chop your garlic and put in a bowl:

 

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chop your courgette flesh and add to garlic:

 

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chop your tomatoes and add to your mix:

 

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add your chopped basil:

 

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season and mix all the ingredients together:

 

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add some olive oil and chop your mozzarella into cubes:

 

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fill your courgettes with the mix and top with Parmesan cheese:

 

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top with mozzarella:

 

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cook for 15-20 mins until the cheese is golden brown:

 

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buon appetito!

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food for kids, sides, vegetables, vegetarian

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January 18, 2009

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