Chorizo & Mushroom Stuffed Round Zucchini

Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 4 medium gem squash or round zucchini (800 g/ 1.76 lb/ 28.2 oz)
• 2 tbsp ghee or lard, you can make your own ghee
• ¹/₂ Spanish chorizo sausage or salami or Mexican chorizo (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• 1 ¹/₂ cups wild mushrooms such as chanterelle (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (115 g/ 4 oz)
• salt and pepper to taste (I like pink Himalayan salt)
• **Wondering what's the difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo? Mexican chorizo is spicy ground meat sausage. It's mostly sold fresh and uncooked, loose or in a casing. You can use Mexican chorizo in this recipe if you like - just mix it with the ground meat and make more meatballs. Spanish chorizo is dried, cured sausage in a casing - like salami. Spanish chorizo is usually more expensive than Mexican chorizo and has a stronger taste (could be sweet, mild or spicy).

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C/ 350 °F. Start by preparing the zucchini. Cut the tops off.

2. Scoop the flesh out using a mellon baller or a spoon leaving a shell about ¹/₂ inch (1 cm) thick. Place the scooped flesh into a bowl and set aside.

3. Brush the squash and tops with about a tablespoon of melted ghee. Place on a baking sheet and transfer into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until fork-tender. Gem squash and squash with a thicker peel will take longer to cook than round zucchini.
   Remove any large seeds from the squash flesh - soft seeds are fine. You can use them for snacking and roast them just like pumpkin seeds.

4. Dice the chorizo and slice the mushrooms. If you don't have Spanish chorizo, you can use salami or Mexican chorizo too.

5. Place the chorizo in a hot pan greased with the remaining ghee and cook over a medium-high heat until crisped up, for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 more minutes while stirring.

6. Then add the zucchini flesh and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Once cooked, set aside.

7. Grate the cheddar cheese and add to the cooked chorizo & mushrooms. Mix until well combined.

8. Add to the pan with cooked zucchini. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix.

9. Spoon the cooked squash, chorizo, mushroom and cheddar mixture into each of the zucchini shells. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy with a side of crispy greens!