Stuffed courgettes with feta

Name: Stuffed courgettes with feta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean recipes
Ingredients: 4 large green round courgettes (see Know How); Olive oil to drizzle; 150ml crème fraîche; 100g feta; 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (use less if you don’t like chilli); 2 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped; Grated zest and juice ½ lemon, plus extra juice; 5 dill sprigs, fronds picked and roughly chopped, plus extra for garnishing; 1 sourdough bread slice, crusts removed, chopped with a knife or pulsed in a blender to form rough crumbs

Portion size: Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min. Oven time 35 min
Difficulty: easy

Recipe by: Ben Tish

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Stuffed round courgettes filled with a punchy, creamy mixture of feta, anchovies, chilli and breadcrumbs make an ideal summer starter.

Use up a summer glut with more delicious courgette recipes.

delicious. regular Ben Tish made his name as a chef and partner in the Salt Yard Group of small-plates Mediterranean restaurants in London. He became the culinary director of The Stafford London hotel in St James, and in 2019 opened Norma restaurant in Fitzrovia to great acclaim. This year he joined the executive team at Cubitt House, a group of central London pubs, to revitalise their food offering while opening two new London sites. He’s written five cookbooks, most recently Moorish and Sicilia.

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Ingredients

4 large green round courgettes (see Know How)
Olive oil to drizzle
150ml crème fraîche
100g feta
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (use less if you don’t like chilli)
2 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
Grated zest and juice ½ lemon, plus extra juice
5 dill sprigs, fronds picked and roughly chopped, plus extra for garnishing
1 sourdough bread slice, crusts removed, chopped with a knife or pulsed in a blender to form rough crumbs

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Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Slice the tops off the courgettes about 1.5cm down to form lids. With a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and most of the flesh, leaving a shell of flesh about 0.5cm thick.
Trim a thin slice off the base of the courgettes so they stand straight, then arrange them on a roasting tray with the lids to the side. Drizzle with oil and season well, then roast for 25 minutes until just tender. Don’t overcook – you need the courgette shells to hold their shape.
While the courgettes cook, spoon the crème fraîche into a bowl, crumble in the feta, add the chilli, anchovies, lemon zest and juice, dill and a drizzle of olive oil, then season well and mix. When the courgettes are tender, divide the crème fraîche mix evenly among the shells, then return to the oven for 8 minutes or until the top starts to brown and the mixture is hot.
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Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil and, when hot, fry the breadcrumbs until golden brown and crisp. Season well, then set the breadcrumbs aside until ready to serve.
To serve, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the filling, garnish with extra dill and lemon, then put on the lids, slightly off centre. Serve with extra crumbs on the side.