farmer’s market squash

Connor and I went to the Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. I got him all excited to go, telling him that we could split one of Eugenia’s heavenly croissants from the Essence Bakery Cafe booth at the market and then we’d go Barrio Queen for breakfast afterwards. Who could resist once they’ve seen this breakfast menu?

Con got up early on a weekend day and we left the house at 7:20. Only two problems – the Essence booth wasn’t there on this particular Saturday and Barrio Queen doesn’t open until 11:00. What an utter letdown!! We ended up eating a very nice meal at The Breakfast Club, but it certainly wasn’t the same as Chile Verde Con Huevos or Chilaquiles from Barrio Queen!

Oh well, at least we bought cute round zucchini at the market and I did my best to make it up to him by creating this meal for him on Sunday.

Saucisse Farcie de Courgette Ronde (Sausage stuffed Round Zucchini Squash)

2 round zucchini
2 medium ripe tomatoes
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut a thin slice off the tops of the zucchini and reserve. Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh, coarsely chop and set aside.

Cut 2 thick center slices from one of the tomatoes. Chop the remaining tomato and the ends from the tomato you cut the slices from, and set the chopped tomato aside.

Place a tomato slice inside each of the hollowed-out zucchini rounds. Sprinkle evenly with half of the herbes de Provence. Replace the “lids” of the zucchini and set them on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Heat a large skillet. Add the sausage and use a spatula to break up the meat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is cooked through.

Season the sausage with salt and pepper and the other half of the herbes de Provence.  Add the chopped zucchini, the chopped tomato, and the olives, and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Remove the zucchini from the oven and mound the stuffing in the zucchini, top with the lids and bake in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the panko and Parmesan in a small bowl.  Remove zucchini from oven and set the broiler to high.

Remove the lids from the zucchini and sprinkle with the panko-Parmesan mixture and return to oven, broil until cheese just begins to melt.  Remove from oven and serve hot.

Makes 2

* If using long zucchini, halve them lengthwise, scoop out flesh but do not prebake. Stuff and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.