MEAT FILLED ZUCCHINI IN TOMATO SAUCE

Once I read about an Arabic dish made with small zucchini filled with meat and cooked in a tomato sauce and it has remained in my mind, waiting for me to get going. I have made filled zucchini before obviously but I have never thought about digging a tunnel into them and to stuff that with a filling and then cook them in a tomato sauce and that idea attracted me a lot. But as usual, it has taken some time before I actually managed to do something about it and I can’t really remember the original recipe so this is a free interpretation. Zucchini and eggplants are perfect to fill with almost anything that takes your fancy and I regret not using them more often for that purpose but there’s always time to make amends. The great thing about these filled zucchinis is that you actually could bring them along on picnics because the filling stays where it is. No spill, no fuss. Except when you have to excavate the zucchinis of course but I solved that by using a round apple corer, using that made it pretty easy. It is important to choose rather small and straight zucchini, don’t worry about not having enough space for the filling because I don’t think there should be too much of it anyway if you want to keep a good balance between vegetable and meat.

MEAT FILLED ZUCCHINI IN TOMATO SAUCE

small straight zucchini, about 12-15 cm/4,7-5,9 in long
minced meat, 1-2 cooked meat/zucchini
onion, finely chopped
fresh herbs, finely chopped
tomato sauce
chili pepper, optional
clove of garlic,
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Trim the zucchini and cut off the top, keep the tops, you will need them later. Take an apple corer and proceed to take out the core of the zucchinis without breaking the skin. It gets easier as you get along.
- Gently fry the chopped onion in olive oil until transparent, add the chopped herbs, the minced meat and salt and go on frying until the meat has browned and is cooked.
- Stuff the zucchini with the meat and put the tops on, fastening them with a toothpick or two.
- Heat up olive oil, chili pepper and garlic in a skillet or pan with high sides, add the zucchini and brown them all around.
- Add enough tomato sauce to cover the zucchini and leave it to simmer for about 45 minutes, turn the zucchini around now and then and if the tomato sauce dries up, you can add a little water.
- Serve warm or cold.

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