Stuffed Zucchini

This is one of my family's all time favorites- we just adore this and I've made many variations of the basic recipe. I first saw this recipe in the cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini- Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier. Her recipe is vegetarian, but I found that adding a sausage that's been taken out of the casing and sauteed before adding the rest of the filling ingredients seems to suit my families taste. I've stuffed it with bulgur wheat, brown rice, cooked orzo, quinoa... depending on my mood and what's leftover in the refrigerator. No matter how many zucchini we happen to make, it never seems like enough because we devour it all in 10 seconds flat (well, not really, but you get the picture)!

Stuffed Zucchini (serves 4 as a light main course)
extra virgin olive oil
4-6 zucchini cut in half and scooped out with a small melon baller or tsp. spoon- reserve zucchini flesh
salt, pepper to taste
1 cup cooked bulgur, orzo, rice, or quinoa
1/8 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 sausage removed from the casing
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
several sprigs of mint, chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a casserole dish with olive oil. After you've washed, halved and scooped out the flesh of the zucchini, place in dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly softened but still holding their shape. Chop the flesh and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium heat and saute the sausage until cooked through. Remove and chop coarsely. In the sausage oil, heat the chopped zucchini flesh, onions, salt, pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, grain of choice and pine nuts until softened and heated through. Add the sausage bits and stir together. Remove from heat and add goat cheese and chopped mint, stirring until blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Stuff the zucchini shells with the warm filling and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more until heated through and serve immediately.