Kitchen Invention

Two years ago now, Andy came up with a pretty stellar idea: garlic bread zucchini.

I have posted about them twice before, but without much detail.  But we've eaten them a few times recently, and I really love them, so I thought I would expand a little.

A crunchy, golden garlic bread zucchini served with roasted potatoes, a chickpea burger,

a foil-roasted beetroot, and some corn on the cob.

This recipe combines the crunchy, garlicky-ness of garlic bread, with the cuteness and healthy-ness of stuffed zucchini.  Here's how it goes:

One thick slice (or two pre-sliced bread slices) of multigrain bread, cut into crouton-sized chunks
half a head of roasted garlic
a good drizzle of olive oil
salt & pepper
1 zucchini

In a bowl, coarsely mash up the garlic cloves with a fork.  Mix in the bread and stir.  Slice the zuke in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the insides.  Chop up the flesh, and then mix it in the bowl with the bread chunks.  Pour over 2-ish tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to coat the bread.  Stir it up, and season with salt and pepper.  Pack the bread mix into the zucchini halfs, pressing in with your hands to keep it nice and tidy.  Then, bake or cook under the griller - this part is even more variable than the rest of the recipe.  We usually co-bake, so cook these anywhere from 180 to 220.  They take 20-30 minutes, and you know they're done when the top goes all golden and crunchy.

Look, it's fully possible that this wasn't a completely original invention - someone else, somewhere, may have come up with the idea well before us! But, this is as original as an idea gets, so I'm happy to claim it on Andy's behalf.  Because it is pretty fantastic.