This is an adaptation of one of the recipes that appeared in a 1970s series of Cordon Bleu monthly cooking magazines in England. This series played a large part in transforming the culinary skills of many a British family. Before then most British thought that spaghetti bolognaise came out of a can, and had never even seen a courgette, let alone eaten one.

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Ingredients

Enough courgettes (zucchinis) or marrows (big, gross zucchinis), when halved lengthways to cover the bottom of whatever oven-proof dish you are using.  Approximately equal proportions of chopped tomatoes/shallots and cooked shelled prawns.

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How To

1. Boil or steam the whole courgettes/marrows for about 5 minutes (longer if on the large size), then drain and refresh them (plunge them in cold water).

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2. Halve the courgettes or marrows lengthwise and hollow them out so that they resemble miniature canoes.  If the marrows are too long for the ovenproof dish then cut them shorter accordingly (ie. Half-canoes).  Save the hollowed out insides of the courgettes/marrows.

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3. Chop the hollowed-out flesh of the courgettes/marrows and the tomatoes (posh people scald and skin the tomatoes first, but this is not necessary), and finely cut up a shallot or cooking onion.  (One onion will do about 4 courgettes.)

 

4. Splash in sufficient amount of olive oil in a saucepan to cover its bottom, then cook the shallot/onions until soft but not brown.

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5. Add the chopped courgette/marrow flesh, the tomatoes and some paprika pepper, plus salt and pepper to taste and further cook for 2 – 3 minutes. If you like, drop in a pinch of dried oregano and some hot sauce of your choice.

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6. Stir in the prawns.

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7. Add the entire saucepan mixture to the hollowed out courgette/marrow ‘canoes in the ovenproof dish.

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8. (Optional) Prepare a mornay sauce (1 oz butter, 1 oz flour, and half-pint of milk will suffice for 4 courgettes or 8 of their ‘canoes’). Spoon the mornay sauce over the ‘canoes’ and their added mixture.

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9. Dust all with fresh, grated parmesan cheese, and then place the oven-proof dish in a pre-heated oven (425 degrees) for about 10-12 minutes (at least until warmed through and turning brown, but watch carefully to ensure it does not burn!).

 

10. Celebrate your courgettian bounty with a hungry, predictably appreciative collection of family & friends.