Summer fare

Now, I know many of us have gotten used to having access to zucchini year round, but summer is the season for zucchini. Zucchini features prominently in Italian cuisine in everything from marinated zucchini salads to fried zucchini flowers to stuffed zucchini. Below is my recipe for stuffed zucchini. Note that many recipes for stuffed zucchini do not specify to boil the vegetable before stuffing it. That leaves the zucchini half raw and crunchy since the cooking time is not long enough for it to soften. For me, in this dish the zucchini needs to be soft, so I boil the zucchini before stuffing them. I also stuff them with ground turkey for a lighter dish. It is the perfect summer comfort food. Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

4 large zucchini, boiled and cut in half lengthwise

1 pound ground turkey

¾ cup of fresh bread crumbs

2/3 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese

3 eggs

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

freshly ground nutmeg

Sauce:

12 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup water

Preheat oven to 350F.

Boil whole zucchini in water until a toothpick goes through to the center of the vegetable. Cool zucchini under running water and, when they are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise. Hollow out the halves with a teaspoon (or melon baller) and set aside.

In a bowl, combine meat, cheese, and eggs being careful not to overmix. When the ingredients are combined, add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Distribute the meat mixture evenly among the 8 zucchini halves. Press meat mixture down into each zucchini half and shape it with your fingers, so it is smooth.

In a small bowl, break up the tomatoes, add the garlic and water, and stir. Pour the tomato sauce into a baking dish and place stuffed zucchini halves on top. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Enjoy hot with some grated cheese.