Stuffed Zucchini

My daughter’s approaching four and we made meatballs together once. She still talks about it, and it’ll become a staple recipe. If the sauce is ready, the balls themselves are a fun, easy thing to do with a kid who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. In contrast, I don’t have many memories of cooking as a family.

 

We had a reunion this weekend and on the drive home to Montreal, I found myself thinking about the recipes that’d get handed down generation to generation. As the matriarchs aged, group dinners, Thanksgiving and Christmas aside, have trended towards buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken shared by each (somewhat) nuclear unit. Each of these units gathered with the mass of extended family but clustered around their respective (jealously guarded) buckets. This weekend was Swiss Chalet quarter chicken dinners.

 

It worked, there was less cleanup, and no real headaches.

 

Restaurants were rare when I was young. But cooking wasn’t a job shouldered evenly and it was generally viewed as a chore, so I guess that (and space) explain a slip towards takeout when we can get away with it now.

 

When I consider my daughter, I wonder which meals she’ll grow to love, and which may evolve into traditions. I suspect I won’t have much say in the matter. My best guess is that the dish has to be easy enough to be executed quickly by a novice cook, or divided simply into stages favoring breaks and an opportunity to enjoy the company while preparing it.

 

For myself, back from a hectic week, I was looking forward to cooking. Possible traditions weren’t top on my list when I scoured the fridge and weighed options. But something easy, something fast, and something that could be broken in stages while chatting over a drink most definitely were.

 

Rujira had never really seen, or deigned to notice, a full-grown zucchini before. We still had a couple from our recent market foray. I’m reminded of goldfish or snakes and how my father convinced me they’d keep growing and growing and growing until they filled whatever aquarium they happened to live in. These zucchini had continued expanding in the crisper the week I was away.   

 

We figured stuffed zucchini were the way to go.

 

First I prepared a no-fuss tomato sauce. This one is baked. The flavors are strong, and you can use it as a base to build up from for other things if you want to add more to it. I take a can of whole tomatoes, tip it into a lasagna dish, add 5 or 6 whole, peeled, garlic cloves, salt and pepper, a tablespoon of butter, and whichever spices you prefer. Pulp the tomatoes with your hands. In our case, we added some crushed chili and dried oregano. Bake it for 40-ish minutes at 425. Stir it once half-way through. At the end it should have a jam-like texture. Crush the garlic and roughly stir it all together using a potato masher. Set aside.

 

Enter glass of wine number one.

 

While this was happening I cooked a half-cup of quinoa. We prepare our quinoa with chicken stock whenever we have it, rather than water. It lends a nice flavor.

 

Next I sautéed half of a finely diced large onion in some olive oil. I threw in crushed garlic, along with salt and pepper. Removing the meat of two spicy Italian sausages from their casings, I cut it up and threw it into the mix. This was cooked long enough to brown, but not all the way through.

 

 

 

 

Setting this aside, pouring wine, I halved the zucchini length-wise. Using a spoon, the seeds were scooped out. These and the fleshy bits were aside in case they’d be needed for the stuffing. In the end, I used very little and just mixed in a third of a cup of the cooked quinoa to the sausage and onion mixture. The stuffing was packed into the zucchini, salt and peppered, and topped with a little store-bought Italian-seasoned bread crumbs.

 

The zucchini were placed stuffing up on a baking sheet and covered with foil. They were then baked at 400 for 25 minutes, until the zucchini flesh was soft to a fork but not too tender that they’d fall apart when transferred to a plate.

 

While this cooked I assembled a quick salad. I’m loving Boston lettuce lately, especially to pair with this dressing. Using an immersion blender in a bowl, combine about a third of a cup of olive oil, a tablespoon or two of white wine vinegar, some fresh basil, a third of a cup of fresh parsley, two anchovy fillets, salt and pepper and two finely sliced green onions. Add just a teaspoon of dried tarragon. Toss the salad. I was out of radishes but I did add a finely diced cucumber.

 

 

 

Warm the tomato sauce just as the zucchini is nearing completion and garnish the plated meal with just a bit of it. Remember, the garlic and butter make it very rich, you don’t need much at all.

  

The last glass of wine was poured right about then. While we ate and talked, thoughts turned again to my daughter. I wondered if she’d ever try this recipe with her own friends and family. One day, I’d hope she stumbles on this blog. But above all, I look forward to teaching her the dish on my own.