Adventures in cooking...Zucchini boats with caramelized tomatoes

I grew up with 2 parents who were very competent cooks, if not gourmet chefs, but somewhere between leaving home and now I never seemed to have their ingenuity and skill with cooking. The last year I have had more time off work than Nick, which has led me into the kitchen. I have learned that cooking is a soothing end to the hectic day and that I love every aspect of it, especially since I mostly cook with a glass or wine or beer... Occasionally I will share a great recipe or meal I tried out. I tried this one last week, it was surprisingly easy and was delicious.


Nick's parents gave us a ton of fresh veggies from their garden, so I went in search of a fun recipe to use them. I came across this Martha Stewart recipe for stuffed Zucchini, and boy was it good. I did adapt the recipe to my skills and veggie liking, the adaptations are noted in *.


Ingredients:
3 zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
4oz Mediterranean* feta cheese (with herbs)
2 whole tomatoes cut thinly*
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar*


Time: just over an hour to make


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Using a tablespoon, scoop out zucchini centers to form "canoes," leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roughly chop centers; set aside. 
2. Arrange zucchini, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn oven down to 375*
3. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil. Lay down thin tomato slices, coat with balsamic. Place in over for 30-40 minutes at 375. Every 10 minutes baste with more balsamic. Tomatoes are done when caramelized.*
   

   

   
   

4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped zucchini, and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Fold in feta. 

5. Turn hollowed-out zucchini cut sides up, fill with vegetable-feta mixture, and bake until top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

6. Top zucchini boats with caramelized tomatoes.*  Lift zucchini from baking sheet with a wide spatula, and serve.

The recipe calls for chopping cherry tomatoes up and adding to the zucchini boat mixture, but Nick and I are not a huge fan of tomatoes, and I didn't think we would really eat them if I cooked them this way. We both just discovered that we WILL eat deliciously caramelized tomatoes, so I just adapted the recipe for the way we would actually eat the tomatoes. I think it turned out much better and gave the zucchinis a sweet and tangy compliment. I thought they kind of tasted like zucchini pizza boats (but much healthier than pizza). I served the zucchini boats with some sausages to round out the meal.