Little did I know when I set the delicate plants I grew from seed on the compost heap that they would turn into huge green leafy mountains! The pumpkin has disappeard into the rose bushes and my patty pan is producing faster than we can eat. My last post was about what to do with zucchini you get from the neighbor, now I'm on about what to do with your own patty pans.

The first thing I did with them was make a risotto. I made a classic risotto and while that was cooking, I diced the patty pans and sautéed it with a shallot and some thyme. Then I sprinkled some smoked Spanish paprika (Pimentón) over the mixture which turned it beautifully red. The smokey flavor of the paprika was the perfect match for the sweetish thyme and the salty Parmesan.

Next up was a dish inspired by a recipe in Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors". I cooked the patty pans in coconut milk along with some corn and a bell pepper and herbs. I topped it with salted peanuts and served it with rice. After that, pizza was on the list. After rolling out the dough, I sprinkled grated parmesan, lay sliced zucchini on top of that and added some corn. After grinding pepper over the vegetables, I tore basil over the pizza and topped it all with crumbled feta. That was one good pizza!

There are so many things to do with summer squash, I almost couldn't decide what to do next. I thought suffing them would be a nice change.

I prepared some farro and then spotted some tomatoes on the counter. That was inspiration enough. While the patty pans were roasting in the oven, I whipped together some crème fraîche with pepper, herb salt and Pimentón.

Stuffed Patty Pans

• 150 g (1 cup) cooked farro (or barley or rice)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 shallot
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 2 Tbs chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, tarragon, etc.)
• a handfull of grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
• herb salt
• fresh pepper
• Pimentón
• 2 large patty pans

Cut off the tops of the patty pans and scoop the insides. Mix together the farro, tomato, shallot, garlic, herbs and cheese. Fill the patty pans with the farro mixture. Bake in the oven at 200°C for 30-45 min. Whisk together the crème fraîche, salt, pepper and Pimentón to taste. Serve the patty pans with the crème fraîche and a green salad.

Serves 2