It is common in Italy to stuff vegetables. Traditionally
this is done to enrich those that are in season and turn them into a
substantial meal. Typical leftovers of cheese, bread and salami are used, while
minced meat and vegetarian fillings are common. This dish is the favorite
comfort food of my partner, Liz, whose mum would often make it for her
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| Baked, Filled Zucchini in Tomato Sauce |
Baked, Filled Zucchini ingredients: 6 large zucchinis. 2 tbs
extra virgin olive oil. 1 garlic clove, finely chopped. 150g beef mince. 150g
meat mince. 100g stale white bread, soaked in a little water, then squeezed. 1
egg. 30g Parmesan, grated, plus extra to sprinkle. A handful of parsley, finely
chopped
Tomato sauce ingredients: 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil. 1
small onion, finely chopped. 400g can chopped tomatoes
Baked, Filled Zucchini in Tomato Sauce recipe: 1- For the
tomato sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently over
medium heat until softened. Add the tomatoes and season, then reduce the heat
to medium-low, half-cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20
minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. 2- Preheat the oven to 200C.
Cut the zucchini in half lengthways, scoop out the pulp and put the shells to
one side. Heat the olive oil in a frypan, add the garlic and fry over medium
heat for 1 minute, then add the zucchini pulp and stir-fry for about 4 minutes
or until cooked. Leave to cool. 3- Combine the minced meats, bread, egg, Parmesan,
parsley and cooked zucchini pulp in a bowl-this is best done with your
hands-and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fill the
zucchini shells with the mixture. 4- Pour the tomato sauce into an ovenproof
baking dish. Place the filled zucchinis on top, drizzle with a little extra
virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan, then cover with foil and bake for
35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the
zucchinis are cooked through. If the tomato sauce has dried during baking, add
a little hot water to the bottom of the dish. Remove from the oven, leave to
stand for a couple of minutes, then serve warm
