Done in the Italian style, this is more of a vegetable dish than a meat one. The courgettes are filled with fragrant chicken mince flavoured with parmesan and lightened with breadcrumbs, then baked in the oven. Substitute with pork or sausage meat if your butcher won’t mince a little chicken for you.

Ingredients
Feeds 4. Takes 1 hour.

200g minced chicken or pork
2tbsp grated onion
1 small egg, lightly beaten
3tbsp dry breadcrumbs
2tbsp freshly grated parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 thin slices prosciutto, finely chopped
1tbsp grated lemon rind
4 medium courgettes
500ml tomato passata (bottled puréed tomatoes)
1tbsp finely chopped basil
1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp extra grated parmesan for sprinkling

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Combine the mince with the onion, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper. Add prosciutto to the mixture with grated lemon rind, kneading well with your hands.

Cut each courgette in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop a “canal” out of the centres, reserving the pulp (leave a good border of flesh in each courgette to hold the stuffing). Mix about one-third of the pulp with the meat and discard the remaining pulp. Arrange the courgettes cut side up in a lightly oiled baking tray and fill each one with the meat mixture to about 1cm above their surface.

Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is browned and the courgettes are cooked. Drain off the water that comes out during cooking. Heat the tomato passata with the basil and olive oil, and taste for seasoning. Arrange two courgette halves on each of four warmed dinner plates, and spoon the hot tomato sauce around or over the top. Sprinkle with the extra parmesan.

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