The courgette is one of my favourite vegetables. When during the autumn there are beautiful, ripe and fresh ones at the market, I buy them very often. You can use them to prepare a lot of dishes, such as soups, salads and stewed courgette. Two years ago I found at the market some courgettes in an interesting round shape, and since then I have prepared stuffed courgette more often. They are ideal for this purpose, as they are fleshy and their shape lets you fill with them with a barrel of stuffing.

So far I have filled courgettes with minced meat or buckwheat groats and tomatoes. Today I propose that you prepare some stuffing with bulgur and smoked bacon and dried tomatoes.

Bulgur is a kind of cereal food made from rich wheat groats. It contains a lot of potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium, all of which enable the cardiovascular system to work properly. It is a rich source of dietary fibre which reduces our bad cholesterol level. It is recommended for people who are exposed to stress and strain, because it is rich in vitamin B and magnesium – nutrients which make the nervous system work properly.

3 round courgettes
100g of bulgur
200g of smoked bacon
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 dried tomatoes
half a red sweet pepper
100g of emmenthal cheese
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 teaspoon of powdered sweet pepper
salt and pepper

Boil the bulgur in salty water for 13 minutes. Strain and leave to cool down. Dice the onion and garlic. Fry the bacon, onion and garlic without any fat for 5-7 minutes. Add the minced rosemary, powdered sweet pepper and sliced dried tomatoes. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the cubed red pepper, bulgur and grated cheese. Mix it in. Spice it up with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven up to 180C.

Cut the tops off the courgettes and remove the insides. Fill them with the stuffing and cover with the tops you cut off. Put the courgettes into a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy your meal!