Stuffed courgettes with mortadella (Zucchine ripiene)

1. Halve the courgettes lengthways and scrape out the centres with a teaspoon, leaving a 5 mm shell; chop the scooped-out flesh finely.

2. Blanch the courgette shells in rapidly boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then drain - this way they soften at the same pace as the filling in the oven.

3. In a bowl, work together the minced pork, finely chopped mortadella, courgette flesh, grated parmesan, egg, breadcrumbs, crushed garlic, parsley and pepper.

4. Pile the filling into the courgettes and line them up in a baking dish greased with olive oil; pour the passata around them and drizzle a little more oil over the top.

5. Bake in an oven preheated to 190 °C for 30-35 minutes until the filling is cooked through and the top golden brown.

6. Rest for a few minutes, then serve with the sauce and fresh bread.

Tip: The mortadella gives the filling its typical Bologna flavour - if you can't find it, cooked ham works too, but it will be a little milder.