Courgettes au Gratin (Fırında Peynirli Kabak)

Top, tail and thinly peel courgettes. Cut into two, lengthways, and then into half.

About 1 cm. (½ ") from each end, scrape out some of the courgette lengthways to form a ridged pocket for the cheese filling.

Have a pan of boiling, salted water ready and put in the courgettes. Cook until softened but still firm, approx. 8 minutes. Keep checking after 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mash up the feta cheese lightly with a fork and add the chopped dill or mint, paprika and seasoning. Stir in the egg thoroughly.

When the courgettes are ready, drain and place in one layer in a shallow ovenproof dish. Fill each courgette pocket with the cheese filling.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a pan, add the flour and stir well with a whisk. Cook on a low light for a minute or two. Add all the milk, whisking as you do so and until it thickens. Cook a further two minutes on a low light, then add seasoning and grated cheese and give a good stir. If you are going to cook the dish later, empty the cheese sauce into a jug and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming.

Spoon the cheese sauce over the courgettes and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

When you're ready, bake in oven at 180°C for approx. 20-30 minutes until warmed through. Finish off under the grill for a minute or so to brown slightly.

Try replacing the feta cheese with grated Cheddar or Leicester cheese for the filling and covering the filled courgettes with a white sauce. In which case the sauce may be flavoured by adding a bay leaf with the milk and letting it infuse as it is cooking and taking it out just before pouring over the courgettes.