By Spring is fully here — the azaleas are rioting, the dogwoods blooming, the air warm enough to cook outside and I've moved to the fire pit for the first time this year. Grilled pork chops Monday — thick-cut, bone-in, brined in salt water for four hours, dried, rubbed with garlic powder and smoked paprika and black pepper, onto the grill over medium-high coals, four minutes per side. The brine keeps them juicy and the char gives them the crust that pork chops need, the exterior that cracks when you bite through to the soft, sweet meat underneath.
Clay and Sarah went on a date. An actual date — dinner at a restaurant in Lexington, the two of them sitting across from each other like normal people doing normal things. Clay called me afterward and said it went well. I said what did you eat. He said steak. I said good choice. He said she had fish. I said also good. He said Dad, I'm not calling you about the food. I said son, when it comes to dating, the food is always relevant. He laughed. He laughed on the phone about a date with a woman and the laugh was real, not performing, and I sat at the kitchen table and listened to my son laugh and thought: this is what three years of therapy and group and hiking and working and showing up sounds like. It sounds like a laugh on the phone at 9 PM about a woman who had fish.
The coals were still going after those pork chops came off, and when Clay called and I heard that laugh — real, unguarded, the kind you can’t manufacture — I wasn’t ready to let the evening end. I threw these stuffed zucchinis on while the fire settled down to a gentler heat, something that felt right for a night that had turned unexpectedly generous. Spring vegetables on a live fire, a good conversation still warm in my chest — that’s the kind of cooking that doesn’t need much explaining.
Stuffed Grilled Zucchini
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or thawed frozen)
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the grill. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, around 400—425°F. Clean and oil the grates well.
- Hollow the zucchini. Use a spoon to scoop out the center of each zucchini half, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Roughly chop the scooped flesh and set aside.
- Make the filling. In a bowl, combine the chopped zucchini flesh, cherry tomatoes, corn, feta, garlic, basil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until evenly mixed.
- Oil and season the shells. Brush the outside and inside of each zucchini shell with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Fill and grill. Spoon the filling generously into each zucchini shell. Place them cut-side up on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 15—18 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the filling is heated through with light char on the edges.
- Finish and serve. Sprinkle with Parmesan in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Remove from the grill, top with any remaining fresh basil, and serve hot directly from the grill.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 165 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg