Cook and Drink

Zucchini, or courgette, is a favourite summer vegetable. Just think about sliced Trombetta’s, or Stuffed Flowers, or a combination with Farfalle and Fennel. Recently we bought beautiful round zucchinis, ideal to stuff and serve as a side dish. We’ve made these many times, with herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Tasty and not difficult to make. However, we think there’s room for improvement. How would it taste if we would use a richer, fatter, more aromatic cheese? We looked in the fridge. Perhaps Appenzeller? Or a traditional Dutch cheese? We decided to use Tallegio, a semi-soft cheese from Italy made from raw cow milk, with a mild taste. It melts easily, which makes it very suitable for this dish and for instance crostini.

Wine Pairing

The zucchini will be a great accompaniment with grilled lamb or chicken. You could also combine the zucchini with pasta or rice, making for a vegetarian meal.
We decided to drink a glass of red wine from the Douro region, produced by Quinta do Crasto. The wine is made from traditional Douro red grape varieties: tinta roriz, touriga nacional, tinta barroca and touriga franca. The wine is fresh, fruity and very pleasant. Its colour is deep ruby and the wine has aromas of ripe red fruit.
In general, we suggest a red wine with flavours and aromas of red fruit and with light tannins.

What You Need

• 2 round Zucchinis
• One Garlic Clove
• Thyme
• Black Pepper
• Taleggio
• Olive Oil

What You Do

1. Remove the top of the zucchinis
2. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
3. Use a teaspoon to remove the inside of the zucchini, also of the cap. Be careful not to damage the skin of the zucchini
4. Use a knife to chop the ‘meat’
5. Add olive oil to a pan
6. When warm, add the meat and fry/glaze for a few minutes
7. Finely chop the garlic and add to the pan
8. Finely chop the thyme
9. Add thyme and black pepper. Mix and leave on low/medium heat for a few minutes
10. Let cool
11. Fill the bottom half of the zucchini with the mixture
12. Add a slice of taleggio
13. Fill the zucchini with the mixture
14. Add a second slice of taleggio on top
15. Transfer the stuffed zucchinis and the tops to the oven and fry for 15 minutes or until golden
16. Serve with the top on the zucchini

PS

The winemaker, Quinta Do Crasto, provides excellent background information. Interesting to read about the weather, the harvest, the production and the timing.