Farcis - one of this season’s most edible delights, and how to make it!

The very delicious and tasy looking petits farcis Nicois dish

The important thing for this typically Provençal plat is to offer lots of choice, and all the stuffed vegetables need to be of a similar size. For the courgettes and aubergines, therefore, I choose large, regular-shaped ones, then cut them sidewise in 4 cm chunks, and scoop out the insides to make room for the stuffing.
Nothing gets wasted in this recipe, as all the extraneous flesh is incorporated in the farce.

Petits Farcis Niçois
(serves 6)
2 large courgettes
2 large aubergines
6 small firm tomatoes
6 small white onions
6 small red peppers
6 small green peppers
for the stuffing
300g minced veal
100g sausagemeat
50g smoked diced bacon
200g mushrooms
3 shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 beaten eggs
100g parmesan mixed with 100g white breadcrumbs
A generous tablespoon herbes de Provence
S&p to taste

Method
First prepare your vegetables - cut the tops off your tomatoes, peppers and onions at their widest point, and scoop out the insides. Throw out seeds etc, but keep all the extra flesh and skin to go into the stuffing. Cut your courgettes laterally into three or four 4 cm chunks, and scoop out a hole. Salt, then degorge your tomatoes and courgettes on kitchen paper for at least 15 minutes.
Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil, then drop in the whole aubergines for 4 minutes. While they are cooling, pop the peppers, and then the onions in for 4 minutes each. Cut the aubergines in 4 cm chunks and hollow out, as per the courgettes. Drain everything well. In your processor combine all the rejected vegetable flesh from peppers, aubergines, onions etc. with shallots and mushrooms and chop finely. (I often add more red pepper and onion at this stage, for more flavour and moisture). Add bacon, veal mince and sausagemeat and process together.
Put some olive oil into a pan, add the stuffing mix and stir over a lowish heat to start colouring. Add the garlic and herbes de Provence and continue cooking gently, about 25 minutes. Take off heat, stir in half the breadcrumb mix, and, when cooled, the 2 beaten eggs. Taste and season.
Stuff the vegetables, top each with a sprinkling of the rest of the breadcrumb mix, drizzle with olive oil and place on a generously oiled baking tray. Into a preheated 180°C oven till nicely browned and crispy on top - about 15-20 minutes.
Serve, room temperature, with a green salad.

Juliet Young