Stuffed Courgette

I was lucky enough to grow round courgettes last year and stuffed them with lentils. This year I bought them from our weekly farmer's market as I've not even sown courgette seeds yet! You can be creative and stuff the courgettes with all sorts of things, but for me lentils, a handful of vegetables and the addition of smoked paprika or harissa works well.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 small round courgettes 100g of dried Puy lentils, washed and soaked for 10 minutes in plenty of water 1 leek, washed and chopped 1 large carrot, diced 4 tbsp of tomato paste 1 medium onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 bay leaf 250ml of vegetable stock (vegan/gluten free) A handful of fresh parsley, chopped Smoked paprika/harissa powder Salt and pepper to taste Parmesan cheese/almond meal

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/190°C (fan oven). In a large pan, fry the onions until translucent and golden in colour. Add the garlic a minute or two before the onions are cooked. Stir to prevent burning. Add the leek and carrot. Stir and cook on a low heat for a few minutes. Thoroughly rinse the lentils, drain and add to the pan along with the stock, bay leaf, tomato purée and spices and bring to the boil. Boil for a minute or two and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender. 2. In the meantime cut a lid off each of the courgettes. Hollow out the seeds and discard. 3. A few minutes before the end of the cooking time add the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for another minute or two. Turn off the heat. 4. On a lightly oiled oven proof dish, put the four courgettes and stuff with the lentil mixture. Put the lids on each of the courgettes and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. 5. Remove the foil and lids once the cooking time is up. Sprinkle with cheese or almond meal and put under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve with rice and steamed asparagus spears or green beans.