These stuffed courgettes combine gently cooked courgette with a savoury filling of stale bread, minced beef, onion and Provençal herbs. The tops turn golden in the oven; serve them warm as a main course.
Courgettes farcies à la niçoise are part of the cuisine of Nice and the wider Provence region, where stuffed vegetables come to the table in all sorts of forms. The exact filling varies from household to household and recipe to recipe: bread, herbs and the courgette flesh make a natural base, sometimes with minced meat added. In this version, minced beef makes for a hearty meal, while stale bread absorbs moisture and holds the filling together.
Courgettes are widely available in the Netherlands, especially in summer. Choose ones that feel firm and are not overly thick; they cook more evenly and are easier to hollow out. The scooped-out flesh does not go to waste, but is fried with onion and garlic. This matters because raw courgette contains a lot of moisture. Frying the flesh in a pan first gives the filling more flavour and helps prevent water from pooling in the dish after baking.
Stale bread gives the filling a soft, slightly compact texture and keeps it from becoming too dry. Bread that is a day or two old works well; fresh bread is fine too, but let it soak in the milk a little longer and then gently squeeze it out. Minced beef gives a pronounced savoury flavour. You can also use a mixture of beef and pork mince, or use minced veal for a milder filling. The parsley and thyme keep everything fragrant without overpowering the courgette.
The stuffed courgettes are at their best straight from the oven, when the filling is soft and the edges are lightly browned. Serve them as a main course with a green salad and vinaigrette, or with boiled potatoes if you want a heartier meal. A piece of crusty bread goes well too and soaks up any meat juices. Cool leftovers promptly, cover and refrigerate within two hours, and eat within two days. Reheat them in the oven until piping hot throughout; this keeps the topping in better shape than reheating in the microwave.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Halve the courgettes lengthways. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a border of about 8 mm all around. Finely chop the flesh.
Place the courgette halves cut-side up in an oven dish. Brush them with 1 tbsp olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and pour any liquid from the hollows.
Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and chopped courgette flesh and fry for 5–7 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Add the minced beef and fry until browned and cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat. Gently squeeze out the bread and stir it into the beef mixture along with the egg, parsley, thyme, salt and a few twists of black pepper.
Divide the filling among the courgette halves and press it in loosely. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until the courgettes are tender and the tops are golden brown.
Leave the courgettes to stand for 5 minutes and serve warm.
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