Stuffed Courgettes with Bulgur Wheat and Preserved Lemon

Flavourful stuffed courgette (zucchini) boats filled with bulgur wheat, lemon, nuts, herbs and feta cheese (use vegetarian or vegan Greek style cheese). Serve as a veggie main or a sensational side dish.

Courgettes or zucchini as they are also known, are often used to bulk out soups and stews, but they are rarely the star of the show themselves, which is a shame.

Yes, if they aren't treated properly they can be a bit watery and bland, but get it right and they are fabulous.

Case in point are these scooped out then stuffed courgette boats filled with a delicious mixture of preserved lemon, bulgur wheat, nuts and herbs.

Truly wonderful!

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour

This fabulous recipe comes from the stunning new cookbook Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour.

This is the fourth cookbook from Sabrina, who is known for her Middle Eastern cooking and it's stonkingly good. Full of real comfort food where the vegetables really shine.

It's one of my favourite cookbooks this year.

This is one of the few books that as you turn page after page you think I want to eat that and that and that........  I usually find with a cookbook there are a few recipes I'm interested in trying and a few more that inspire, but I'd make differently. With this book it's hard to know where to start as there is so much choice.

It's beautifully shot with full page colour photos for every recipe, which I love and all of the recipes come with an introduction and they are simple to follow.

It's a vegetarian cookbook, but there are lots of vegan recipes or recipes that can be easily tweaked.

Bazaar Chapters

1. Introduction
2. Light Bites & Sharing Plates
3. Eggs & Dairy
4. Soups & Bowl Comfort
5. Pies, Breads & Pastries
6. Salads for all Seasons
7. Moreish Mains
8. Store-Cupboard Sustenance
9. Spectacular Sides
10. Sweet Treats

Standout Recipes

1. Carrot, Halloumi & Dill Balls (vegan halloumi could be used)
2. Roast Vegetable Bastilla
3. Persian Sweet Saffron Breads
4. Smoky Black-Eyed Bean & Tomato Stew
5. Harissa & Soba Noodle Salad
6. Spiced Green Bean & Tomato Rice
7. Mushroom, Tahini & Harissa Spaghetti
8. Sweet Potato, Coconut & Thyme Bake
9. Courgette, Orange & Almond Cake

Vegetarian and Vegan Recipe Count

There are 97 vegetarian recipes in this book and of these 25 vegan recipes.

Sabrina uses a lot of butter and honey in her recipes, but they can easily be substituted with maple syrup or agave nectar and dairy-free spread.

Most of the savoury recipes could be easily tweaked by using dairy-free alternatives to cheese and yoghurt, but the sweet recipes would be harder to make direct swaps for the same results.

I still think it's worth buying as a vegan, as most tweaks are simple and every vegetarian who loves to cook should have this cookbook on their book shelf.

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Mitchell Beazley at £26 in hardback (octopusbooks.co.uk), Photography by Kris Kirkham.

Courgettes

Courgette (or zucchini) are a summer squash from the same family as cucumber and melon and are very similar to a marrow, but with a thinner skin.

The have a dark green skin and pale flesh and are usually the same size as a cucumber, but can grow up to a metre in length.

When you are buying courgettes, do pick them up and give them a fondle. You want a firm courgette, with a smooth, unblemished skin.

Courgettes can be eaten raw or cooked and they do not need to be peeled.

Nutrients in Courgettes

Courgettes are full of antioxidants, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, riboflavin, potassium and manganese.

They are also known as an anti-inflammatory and low in cholesterol.

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Stuffed Courgettes with Bulgur Wheat and Preserved Lemon

These courgette boats are filled with a plethora of tasty ingredients. 

The mixture contains bulgur wheat, garlic, preserved lemon, pine nuts, feta cheese, fresh and dried herbs and seasoning.

For a vegan version try Violife Greek White Style Cheese which is a great substitute for feta cheese.

Serve these as a main course with baby potatoes and vegetables, or as a starter with a a few dressed leaves. 

These would also make the perfect Christmas starter. Simple to make, stunning to look at and tasty to eat.

Stuffed Vegetables

If you are looking for more stuffed vegetable dishes try my BBQ Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms (these are da bomb! ..... and can be cooked in the oven), Stuffed Peppers with Ricotta Cheese & Mushrooms (vegetarian) and Deluxe Carrot, Courgette & Peanut Butter Stuffed Mushrooms (use vegan cheese for a dairy-free version).

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dinner

Middle-Eastern, vegetarian, vegan

Yield: 4

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission

Stuffed Courgettes with Bulgur Wheat and Preserved Lemon

Flavourful stuffed courgette (zucchini) boats filled with bulgur wheat, lemon, nuts, herbs and feta cheese (use vegetarian or vegan Greek style cheese). Serve as a veggie main or a sensational side dish. Recipe from Bazaar By Sabrina Ghayour.

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M

ingredients:

• 100g bulgur wheat
• 4 large courgettes, halved lengthways
• 4 fat preserved lemons, finely chopped
• 1 small packet (30g) of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 50g pine nuts
• 200g feta cheese (or vegan Greek Style cheese), crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried wild oregano
• 1 tablespoon garlic granules
• finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• a good grinding of salt and pepper

instructions:

How to cook Stuffed Courgettes with Bulgur Wheat and Preserved Lemon

1. Cook the bulgur wheat according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse it in cold water. Leave to drain – you want it to be as dry as possible.
2. Preheat the oven to 240ºC (220ºC fan), Gas Mark 9. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
3. Using a teaspoon, scoop out all the flesh from the courgette halves, being careful not to break the skins. Put the skins on the prepared baking tray.
4. Finely chop the courgette flesh and put it into a large mixing bowl. Add the preserved lemon, parsley, pine nuts, feta, oregano, garlic granules and lemon zest to the courgette flesh. 
5. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper, then use your hands to mix until everything is well combined and the mixture feels moist. 
6. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Heap one portion into one courgette skin and press down on the filling mixture to fill the cavity and compress it to really pack in the mixture. Repeat with the remaining portions of filling and courgette skins.
7. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the skins are soft and the filling mixture is cooked through and browning on top. Serve immediately.
8. Enjoy!

NOTES:

Serve these whole, or cut them into smaller portions if you have created a feast of several dishes.

Calories
277.01

Fat (grams)
19.90

Sat. Fat (grams)
8.22

Carbs (grams)
17.82

Fiber (grams)
5.23

Net carbs
12.59

Sugar (grams)
6.21

Protein (grams)
11.84

Sodium (milligrams)
871.74

Cholesterol (grams)
44.50

Created using The Recipes Generator

Disclosure: I was gifted this book for review purposes. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.