Stuffed Zucchini, and mad ramblings on the Glorious Twelfth!

Lisa, at Champaign Taste recently quoted one of my favorite Minnesotans, Garrison Keillor,    "Why do the inhabitants of Lake Wobegon lock their cars in the month of August? So their neighbors won't leave bags of zucchini on the back seat."

Here, in the French countryside, people don't lock their cars.  They rarely lock their houses.... except at night.

At night they close up tight.  All of the shutters, including the shutters on the doors, are closed every night.  That's why there are no screens on windows or doors here: one wouldn't be able to reach through to fasten the shutters closed. 

We, of course, being the crazy/ignorant/poorly raised Americans, don't do that. 

We, actually, not only do not shutter our windows; we open them.  Yes, we do!  We open our windows at night.  We let in night air.   We have screens to keep the bats out (removable ones, so we can close the shutters when we're gone overnight - otherwise the house insurance is invalid), but the windows are open.

I know we are eternally damned for such a transgression, the local gendarmerie have been warned to keep an eye on us, and the mayor murmurs a small prayer when he sees us, but... I just can't help myself.  I like fresh air when I sleep.  I like the cool air after a hot day.  I like to listen to rain on the giant leaves of our mulberry tree.  At the very least, I like to know when it's daylight!

There is another advantage to having our windows open:  At precisely 8:05 each morning, Madame, the lovely 85 year old that lives next door (with her husband of 94) open her front door and steps outside to fasten her shutters open for the day.  The gentle thump, thump of them hitting the side of the house is our wake-up call. 

And there is an advantage to having Madame et son mari nestled snugly in their tightly closed up house in the middle of summer: After hearing the opposite thud (at 10:10 each evening) we know that we can sit outside, talking, listening to music, watching the stars, until the wee hours, enjoying our summer nights without disturbing their sleep!

What has that to do with zucchini?  Absolutely nothing but it's the Glorious Twelfth and my mind wandered....  Besides, you really didn't want to hear about zucchini, did you?  Haven't you had enough of it yet?  Check your back seat...or back door step (another good place to leave it)

In case you still have the urge to eat more zucchini, I have one last (maybe) recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging,  founded by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this week by the lovely and talented Melissa at Cooking Diva.

And in case you've forgotten, according the WHFoods zucchini (courgette) are "an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C and a very good source of magnesium vitamin A (notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene),fiber, potassium, folate, copper, riboflavin and  phosphorous."

Warm Stuffed Zucchini Cups, a first course for two

1 zucchini (courgette),  about 2-1/2 inches (7cm) in diameter and at least 7 inches (18cm) long
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
3 - 4 green onions,  thinly sliced (about 3 tsp)
1.5 oz (45gr) cheese,  cut into short, thin sticks
handful fresh basil leaves, snipped into thin strips
olive oil
Greek olives, optional

Cut the zucchini into six 1 inch (2.5cm) rounds.  Using a teaspoon scoop out the center of each round leaving  1/4 inch (.6cm) on sides and bottom.  Dip the bottom of each zucchini cup into oil and put on a baking sheet.  Divide the green onions and put into each zucchini cup.  Divide the tomato and put on top of the onions, mounding it up a bit to get it all in.  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 30 minutes.  Remove and arrange cheese around the edge of the zucchini trying not to let it hang over the sides and leaving some tomato uncovered (prettier).  Return to oven until cheese melts.  Remove, arrange three on each plate, sprinkle with basil, garnish with olives and serve.

Be sure to visit Chef Melissa at Cooking Diva on  Monday  for the recap of all of the Weekend Herb Blogging  entries.

One of these days I'm going to skip the ramblings and just post a recipe.... something for y'all to look forward to....

Comments

[meredith]

Happy Birthday Katie! If I lived close by, I'd bring you a cake. But in your honor, I'll be making a mirabelle clafoutis with fruit from our tree tonight.
ps We open our shutters at night, too. more crazy americans, I guess :)

[Lydia]

Happy birthday! I love the glimpse into French country life, the opening and closing of the shutters, the rhythm of neighbors...beautiful post, and a lovely recipe!

[Kalyn]

Happy birthday, and I love the idea of sleeping at night with the windows open. I could do that here (I have screens) but then there's turning off the air conditioner so my doesn't just get higher and higher trying to cool the outside, so I don't usually open the windows.

Love the sound of this zucchini dish. I actually had the thought yesterday of coring out a slice of zucchini when I was stuffing some round ones and I didn't have as many as I wanted. I bet this tastes just wonderful.

[Betty C.]

Joyeux anniversaire! And a great picture too. I think your food photos are getting better and better...

[Katiez]

Meredith, thank you! Mirabelle clafouti...if I lived closer I'd be there :-)
Thanks, Lydia, we've not mentioning numbers...
Kalyn, great minds think alike! And thanks!
Betty, merci! And merci beaucoup!

[Nora]

Hi Katie, when was your birthday? I hope I'm not too late - Joyeux anniversaire!

Lovely post :-) I enjoy reading stories, doesn't matter if it's related to the recipes or not. And such pretty stuffed zucchinis.

[Wendy]

Happy birthday Katie!
And cheers for the courgette recipe. The situation with the courgettes is almost unfunny now. My neighbours are definitely avoiding me...

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

I don't think I'd recognize the place without the ramblings they are certainly half the fun!
Even without checking the back seat of the car or the back porch, I'm happy for another zucchini recipe and this one looks gorgeous. You really got the basil beautiful!

[Anh]

Katie, happy birthday!

I love your stuffed zucchini. It looks very refreshing and tasty!

[Genie]

A. Happy, happy birthday!

B. This version of stuffed zucchini sounds to die for.

C. I love your ramblings. Keep them up!

:-) Genie

[Pille]

I'm with gernie here - keep up the ramblings! And very happy birthday to you!
Pille (definitely sleeping with all the windows and french balcony doors wide open during this heatwave)

[Katiez]

Nora, merci, it's the 12th - the Glorious Twelfth... also known as the opening of grouse hunting season in Great Britain... lol

Thanks Wendy. I know the signs - neighbors hiding behind closed (shuttered) doors..

Thank you, thank you, Anh!

Ahhh, Genie, you're so kind...

Thanks, Pille... you're having a heat wave? Must have missed us. At least it quit raining... but now I have to water the garden!

[Kevin]

Looks good. I like the idea of stuffing a slice of the zucchini rather than the whole zucchini.

[Katiez]

Thanks, Kevin, it's quicker, nicer for a starter and I think they would be good cold, as 'pick-up' nibbles.

[Lisa]

You can ramble all you want! I love your stories. And now I can just see your neighbors and their shutters. (I would leave my windows open, too.)

And the zucchini cups are beautiful.

[Chris]

Happy (WAY BELATED) Birthday, Katie! Keep your stories a-coming! I enjoy reading them!

As far a zucchini...I am normally not a huge fan, but you sure do make them look tasty!!!

[Kalyn]

I'm happy to see that Melissa is doing better and has finally posted the recap for this WHB. Thanks for being so patient.

[Denise]

I was searching for some new zucchini recipes and I found your delightful blog - I love the stories, and I'll be adding you to my growing collection of sites I've been listing on my blog, http://peakedinterest.wordpress.com. I'm definitely looking forward to more of your delightful posts - keep blogging! :)