I favor small red/yellow peppers for this.
Four of these on a plate and you have a light lunch or supper.
(Two would be good as a starter–on a small bed of rocket (arugula).
We added some simple broccoli with garlic to the plate last night.
A pretty picture.
This is adapted from a Marcella Hazan recipe.
for 2/3
3 smallish red peppers
40z/100gms small courgettes–sliced thin (a food processor’s disc is helpful for this)
1 clove garlic–chopped fine
2 oz/50gms grated Emmental cheese (We like the creamy taste of the emmental, but you could try substituting other cheeses, such as parmesan)
1 oz/25gms breadcrumbs (I use organic wholewheat or rye.)
4 tbs olive oil
2 tbs parsley–chopped
salt and pepper
- set the oven to 400F/200C
- Peel the peppers carefully with a hand peeler (easier than expected); halve them and then halve them again to form cargo carrying boats.
- Remove the seeds.
- Slice the courgettes as thinly as you can.
- In a large bowl mix the courgettes, cheese, parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs with two tablespoons of the olive oil and season to taste.
- Load the pepper boats generously with the courgette cargo.
- Oil a piece of foil on an oven tray and moor the boats on it.
- “How apt” Meredith says ” …these boats being so “moorish”!
- Sprinkle over the fourth tablespoon of oil.
- Thirty minutes in the top half of the oven should do it.
Robin Ellis 
beautiful…this is what’s for dinner! From the picture, am I seeing that you leave the green stem of the red pepper on as part of the boat? Not a problem. Looks delightful.
You got it!
How delish. and pretty too. The recipe’s a little choppy to begin with….. but plain sailing. I will get my granddaughter, Lucy, to do this over half-term.
Let the machine take the strain–if you have one that is–for the courgettes. And it’s fun finding the right place to halve and re-halve the peppers, Sophie-Jane.
I think a machine may be a good plan. Sophie has four siblings, so she will have to make an entire marina full!
Those look fantastic & sounds delicious – always the best combination! Thanks for posting this recipe! I changed my eating two years ago, lost 105 lbs, and these are now perfect for either a meal or serving to company – yum 🙂
Forgive the intrusion, Mari, but how did you manage to lose 105lbs? Just by swapping to the Mediterranean Diet? I’m ‘struggling’ and I’m borderline diabetic although a visit to the doctor today has worried them and me a little that I might, actually, now be a fully fledged diabetic. So losing weight is essential. I’d value any tips/advice if you don’t mind. Thank you. Pauline
Well, I had a hip replacement due to hip dysplasia two years before and was gaining weight – then I lost my job, looked in the mirror and drew the line in the sand. I began eating protein first whenever I was hungry (stabilize blood sugar), then lots, lots of veggies and fruits. Used olive oil, eat dairy and eggs, yogurt, etc – no soda, no white anything, sweet potatoes, not white, no bread, NO sugar – I just lived my daily life with no extreme workouts, but I got more active and live the more I lost 🙂 – I lost 105 pounds in ten months, and now I weigh what I did back in 1987 when I was in my 30’s! I feel great, and I have never once felt deprived or spent a dime on any diet plan or diet food. I’m healthy again!!! I don’t recommend or push what I did to anyone as I believe that everyone has their own path and should have a doctor’s blessing for their efforts, but this worked for me, and that’s the quick and dirty version of it. I did eat oatmeal every morning. Best of success to you!
Hi Mari
Thank you so much for your reply – which I greatly appreciate. I feel encouraged and motivated now to begin my own journey – and with Robin’s wonderful recipes – how can I fail!?
Good luck and keep healthy.
Pauline x
Oh Robin, your pepper boats look divine; the colours are just superb and they look so deliciously delightful and delightfully delicious, I wanted to lick the screen! (Yes I know that sounds weird and I apologise!) I will make this recipe next week when I do my next bout of shopping. Thank YOU so much for a wonderful idea for supper. Gratefully yours, Pauline
Would love to eat more of the recipes in your books but I am worried about the amount of olive oil as not only am I type 2 diabetic, but also had a heart attack a couple of years ago and had to have two stents fitted.
If you are worried about the amount used in a particular recipe, for instance, it would be interesting to try it with the amount of oil you feel comfortable with and seeing if the recipe still pleases.
And incidentally I had three stents fitted about the same time as you.
Let me know how you get on.
Hi Robin
Many thanks for your reply, I was unaware that you also have stents fitted. I will try my favourite recipes (which I have to admit are most of them) with a reduced amount of oil and advise on the outcome.
Again many thanks for your response.
Yum, tomorrow night’s dinner sorted
Dear Robin
Could I please ask you for your advice/suggestions about adopting the Mediterranean Diet as a way of life? I am borderline diabetic (today I had some blood tests done to see if I’m now fully fledged diabetic as there are ‘other unexplained things’ going on which could be connected to diabetes.) I am 5 stone overweight and although I eat as healthily as I can I’m obviously not doing something right, somewhere.
I notice in you book ‘Delicious Dishes for Diabetics’ that there aren’t any desserts. Is there a reason for this? Is it because the Mediterranean Diet goes more for healthy main courses with fruit for dessert rather than fattening yoghurts or creamier concoctions?
How important is exercise when you have diabetes? And what exercise should I try to do?
I hope you don’t mind me asking you and please forgive this intrusion into your busy life.
I also noticed you have a love of cats and I was very moved when reading Lucien’s memorial. I have a website on cats: http://www.thedailymews.com and I have a section called Napping on a Sunbeam where tributes to one’s departed pets are posted. If you’d like to write any anecdotes about your cats, I’ll be very pleased to put them in the Cat Chat section.
Take care, and thank you for ‘listening’.
Pauline Dewberry
http://www.thedailymews.com
@Lazypaws on Twitter
Daily Mews on Facebook
_____
Hi Pauline.
There are no desserts in DD for D because I don’t “do” dessert!
I am lucky that I don’t have a sweet tooth so I don’t really miss them.
I do have a square of 90% cacao chocolate and a dried fig and two dried apricots after meals–which i look forward to and which “finish” the meal.
The trouble with yogurt–even no-fat yogurt–is the sugar they sneak into it. You just have the check the label and choose the lowest sugar content.
Little by little with exercise (I walk 45 mins three times a week) and your new “way of eating” you will lose weight. The fact that you are keen to do so is a huge plus. So congratulations and bon chance!
Thanks for the link to your cat website, I will take a look.
Dear Robin, many thanks for your speedy reply. You are right about yoghurts; I was eating low fat and when I checked the sugar content I was astonished; so much for ‘healthy’ choices! I do, unfortunately, have a sweet tooth but over the past few weeks (since buying your book) I have whittled my desserts down to fresh fruit and an occasional Hartley’s jelly pot – low sugar – 10 calories, normal one about 100 calories. It’s pouring with rain here (in Kent) so not conducive to walking but I do have a Wii Fit which I try to work out on every so often – back pain permitting.
Thank you again. I’m going to make the pepper boats tonight so I’ll let you know how they turned out! I’ve warned my S.O that when he picks me up tomorrow I reek of garlic! A small price to pay for better health, surely!
Take care and many thanks.
Pauline
Perhaps he could follow your example then the garlic will go unnoticed.
Unfortuantely he doesn’t like garlic which is a pity because it’s so good for the heart and circulatory issues (of which, he suffers). I had to defer the pepper boats from last night because tonight we’ll be in company for the fortnightly pub quiz. I cannot, in all good conscience, breathe out plumes of garlic fumes each time I open my mouth to proffer an answer!
Another question: is dried fruit better than its plumper self? I do like most fruit and eat as much as I can during the day and I’ve been finishing my evening meal with a satsuma instead of a higher in sugar low fat yoghurt but noticed you ate a dried fig and two dried apricots as dessert.
Thank you again, Robin, for your time.
Pauline
Matter of taste…
Hi Robin, I just had to tell you I made the Pepper boats with a light cargo last night and what a wonderful experience it was! Not only did my kitchen have a gorgeous aroma permeating through the house, but the dish when I plated it up, looked absolutely stunning. And boy did it taste good! Not sure of the ‘garlic’ effect but the SO will be coming over later today – I’ll be able to see if he reels back with shock when I say ‘Hello, How are you!’
Thank you for a great recipe.
Pauline