Courgette creations: Summer's versatile vegetable for every meal

Courgette is the perfect vegetable for summer. Almost everyone likes it; it's easy to digest and low in calories. Not to mention, it calms nerves since it contains a lot of B vitamins. Courgette is a close cousin to the pumpkin. Its name comes from Italian ("zucchina") and means "little pumpkin" ("zucca"). Depending on the variety, it has dark green, yellowish, or striped velvety skin and delicate, juicy flesh.

Courgette is a vegetable that offers a lot of culinary possibilities. You can make soup from it, add it to stews, prepare fritters, bake cake... the ideas are endless. However, for a summer dinner, I most often choose it stuffed. Properly composed additions ensure that such a dish can replace an entire dinner, even during heat waves.

Stuffed vegetables have been conquering home kitchens for several years and are often served in restaurants. They are tasty and can be beautifully presented on a plate. The trend for such prepared warm vegetables started with peppers, then we got convinced to tomatoes, and now courgette has taken over them. In this form, it tastes excellent and is economical. It can take various forms, from meat dishes to entirely vegetarian or even vegan dishes. This way, the courgette tastes good, both warm and cold. And importantly, you can make it without special equipment or hard-to-find products. In the case of my favourite courgette, you only need an oven, mushrooms, and cheese.

Recipes for stuffed courgettes should be treated as inspiration. Most ingredients can be substituted, like replacing rice with grains. Cheese can be any type. The important thing is to utilise what we have in the fridge. Most vegetables wilt quickly during heat waves, so it's better to use them promptly. And courgettes themselves are easy to digest, which is exactly the type of meal dietitians recommend on hot days. They should not overly burden the body.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized courgettes,
• 250g mushrooms,
• 1 onion,
• 60g cooked rice,
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce,
• 100g cheddar cheese,
• 1 mozzarella ball,
• 1 tablespoon sour cream,
• 200ml tomato passata,
• salt, pepper, paprika, oregano to taste,
• basil or chives for serving.

Preparation:

1. Dice the mushrooms and onion finely. Grate the cheddar cheese, and slice the mozzarella thinly.
2. Clean and wash the courgettes, then cut them lengthwise in half. Carefully scoop out the flesh and seeds without piercing the skin, leaving enough flesh to keep the shape. You can use the flesh in fritters or cakes.
3. Sauté the onion until golden, add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until softened and the water evaporates. Towards the end, add the soy sauce. Then add the cooked rice, mix, and cook for a few more minutes, seasoning to taste.
4. Fill the courgettes with the stuffing. Place them in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 200°C oven for about 25 minutes.
5. Mix sour cream with the tomato passata and season to taste.
6. Pour the sauce over the baked courgettes, sprinkle with grated cheese, and place mozzarella slices on top. Bake for another 15 minutes or so.
7. Serve the courgettes sprinkled with finely chopped basil or chives.