Zucchini Boats
Description
I grew up on zucchini squash. Every summer, Mom would plant a little garden in the backyard and while we all waited impatiently for the home-grown tomatoes, zucchinis were always the heroes of the garden, producing enough squash to feed a small village from only a couple of little seeds.
I still love them and in August, when we reach the height of our summer heat here in northern California, great heaps of them start appearing at the farmer's market and I enjoy coming up with creative ways to utilize the bounty. This year, I came up with this recipe for what I call "zucchini boats."
These beauties make a visually stunning side dish at any summer get-together, using all the best parts of summer: zucchini, sweet basil and tomatoes! And don't forget the cheese--wow are these good and bonus: they're easy to make, too!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400*.
Wash the zucchinis and slice them in half. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds, which will leave about a 1/2 inch "well" in the middle of the zucchini.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the zucchini halves skin-side down on the foil. Place in pre-heated oven for about 12-15 minutes, until the zucchinis are hot and just starting to cook.
Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes.
Sprinkle a little salt and pepper onto the flesh side of the zucchini.
Spread about a tablespoon (depending on the size of the zucchini) of pesto onto the flesh side of each zucchini half. Layer slices of mozzarella on top of the pesto sauce, add a layer of sliced cherry or grape tomatoes; top with some burrata cheese (it's kind of a mess, but I just tear the burrata apart and sort of lay it atop the tomatoes) and finally, drizzle a little more pesto sauce on top of the whole thing.
Place back in oven for another 10-15 minutes until the zucchini is tender, but still a bit firm--you want it to hold its shape.
Serve immediately.
