Inspired by the dozen or so zucchini I had in my fridge this week, I decided to dream up a little sumpin’ sumpin’ that would be satisfying-but-not-too-hearty in the midst of this changing weather. I don’t know what things are like on your corner of the planet, but Toronto this week can’t decide if it’s in the midst of a mid-summer-heatwave or hitting the just-before-Halloween-Autumn-chill. It’s been my experience that when pregnant, one’s heating and cooling system is already rather…well, ummm, broken…so I’ve been as equally as confused as the weather this week! Sometimes I want piping hot comfort food and other times I want an ice bath. Yes, it is just as attractive as it sounds. Let’s leave it at that and not go for any more descriptives or visuals.

Anyway, this meal really hit the spot, so I thought I’d share it with you today just in case any of you are experiencing climate confusion and related symptoms of foodie angst. As always, the core ingredients are really simple: spicy Italian turkey sausage, bacon, apple, fennel, onion, thyme, garlic and parmesan cheese all stuffed into the humble green delivery system of carved-out zucchini.

ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH ITALIAN TURKEY SAUSAGE, BACON, FENNEL + APPLE
THE INGREDIENTS:
3 large, fresh spicy Italian turkey sausages
6 slices bacon
1/2 red onion, chopped
Small bulb of fennel, chopped
Small apple, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 Tbsp thyme
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
12 sm-med zucchini
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
THE METHOD:
Start by popping the 6 slices of bacon onto a baking sheet and throwing them into the oven at 375˚F for about 10 minutes until cooked but not overly crisp. Remove and drain off on paper towels and then chop roughly into bits. Next, add grapeseed oil to a large sauté pan and heat to med-hi heat. Remove the sausages from their casings and brown in the oil. {No need to use the oil if you are not using turkey sausage – pork or beef sausage should produce enough oil on its own, but the turkey sausage is very lean so needs the help not to stick to the pan.}
Remove the turkey sausage and add in chopped the garlic, fennel, onion, apple, and thyme, sautéing until softened and the onion is translucent. You may need to add a bit more oil to the pan – less is more, but you don’t want anything sticking to the pan.
Mix the turkey sausage, bacon bits, apple, fennel, and onion mixtures together with the 1/4 cup of chopped parsley in a bowl and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Next, cut the ends off of each of your zucchini and using a small spoon, hollow out the insides, removing all of the seeds to create your little “boats.”
Finally, add all but 1/4 c. of the grated parmesan to the meat mixture and then stuff the zucchini. I found it easiest to pick up each zucchini boat and hold it over the bowl while filling it with my {very clean and freshly washed} hands.
Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the zucchini are soft but still al dente.
Et le voilà! A meal perfect for all those who, like me, are struggling with climate confusion this time of year.
{As a side note, this recipe did leave me with extra stuffing mixture which I have stored in a glass container and may use with halved acorn squashes this weekend. I must say that the flavours of the fennel, apple and bacon really do feel a bit like Fall to me. So happy-sad it’s here already!}
Well, whatever the weather is like this weekend, I hope you are able to get out and enjoy it with your loved ones.
xo
s.