Stuffed Baby Courgettes

My friend Lynn from Jardins des Thevenets uses these courgettes as a garnish. She grates them, adds a slice of smoked salmon and a grape tomato. Served along side a small cup of Carrot Cumin Soup it's a wonderful first course.
While shopping at the White Plains Farmer's Market today I saw the very same courgettes. I immediately added them to my market basket, along with basil and mozzarella cheese.
I thought the addition of the oven roasted cherry tomatoes I had made yesterday would make a perfect appetizer for our al fresco lunch.
Fairly easy to do, these require very little prep. I hollowed out the courgettes,
my daughter, Katy, brushed them with olive oil and seasoned them with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Roasted for 15 minutes, they began to look juicy and scrumptious!
We then stuffed them with a mix of diced fresh mozzarella cheese, chiffonade of basil leaves and a handful of oven roasted cherry tomatoes.
They were spectacular! Lots of flavor and a perfect summer appetizer. We used the leftovers to garnish our dinner salads.
Stuffed Baby Courgettes

3 courgettes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 oven roasted cherry tomatoes
about a handful of chiffonade of basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and dry the courgettes.
Cut off the tops and hollow out the center using a melon ball tool, being careful not to break the skin.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Spoon tomato, cheese mixture into the center. Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.
Of course you can always use them as eyes!All recipes are the property of The Gypsy Chef unless otherwise noted.