Cute Zukes

Sadly, my homegrown zucchinis are not doing very well. I'm not sure if they are not getting enough sun or enough bat poop or enough TLC but, whatever the reason, they only give me one or two small zucchinis every now and then, so I had to resort to store bought ones. At least finding these rolypoly little round ones softened the zucchini disappointment a bit.

Having a little leftover rice (you know, the kind you make by sauteeing onion, then the rice grains, and substituting chicken broth for the water) I decided to try stuffing them with some doctored up rice mixture, a riff on Bea's idea of a couple of weeks ago. I sauteed a large minced shallot and half a rib of minced celery with some of the chopped zucchini flesh that I scooped out with a teaspoon, added about a cup of the rice to heat it and, off the heat, mixed in a heaping tablespoon of creme fraiche before filling the shells and replacing the tops.

Before baking them in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, I added about 1/4 cup of water to the pan. They were tasty and pretty. Another time, I might use cheese or yogurt with a little more zing but, all in all, we loved the cuteness and the fresh flavors.