Calabacitas Rellenas (Stuffed Courgettes) 

It is snowing outside and I have been in my kitchen all morning doing this and that, well, I have been mainly cooking to be honest. I really love days like today, the weather is freezing, so it is nice to stay at home and do what you love the most and for me is cooking, so I put on my favourite music, today I fancied listening to so classic rap or hip-hop, so I am listening to Cypress Hill, yes! I do, sometimes, listen to that type of music and yes! My favourite song is their hit, “Insane in the mainbrain” LOL, I grew up with a brother that loves this type of music, so I guess I had to like it! But this doesn’t mean I love it.

Anyway, back to my today’s recipe, so today I cooked these lovely stuffed courgettes, it is my dad’s recipe, but with a twist, he used to stuffed them with beef mince meat and I decided to used mince chicken, that is why you see some chicken sausages in the first pic, because my local butcher didn’t have mince chicken today, I thought to use the chicken from a chicken sausage and it worked really well for this recipe.

So here is the delicious recipe for Stuffed Courgettes Mexican Style! Have a lovely weekend dear friends!

Makes around 7 courgettes

Ingredients

For the stuffed courgettes

• 500 gr mince breast chicken or 6 chicken sausages
• 7 courgettes cut in halves and seeds removed
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1/2 red pepper chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the guajillo sauce

• 3 guajillo chilies, stem off and deseeded
• 1 tomato cut in chunks
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup hot water

To garnish

• Fresh feta
• Fresh coriander

Method

1.  Put the guajillo chilies in the hot water. After 10 min, put them in the blender with the water, tomato and onion. Blend until getting a smooth consistency.
2. In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the guajillo sauce. Add salt to taste and cook at low heat for 15 min. Set aside.
3. Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Remove the skin of all the sausages with a knife and put it into the frying pan, making sure to break up the chicken meat very well, we do not want big lumps!
4. Once the chicken looks like it is cooking, add all the vegetables, water, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook at low-medium heat for 15 min. Set aside.
5. Cut the ends of each courgette and the cut them in half and cut each half diagonally (like in the pic)
6. Remove the seeds and set aside (look at the pics)
7. Once all the courgettes are ready. Heat your oven to 180 degrees. Stuff them with the mince chicken and put them in oven friendly dish, then bake them for 15 min. Take them out and add some guajillo sauce and place them again in the oven for another 15 min.
8. Take them out of the oven and scatter some feta and fresh coriander on top. Serve them with some tomato rice.

Listo!

Provecho!