Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 small zucchini (make sure the zucchini you select are straight, not curved)
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- ½ pound (226 g) ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried mint
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) pine nuts, toasted
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 (29-ounce) can tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Method:
Rinse the rice under several changes of cold water. Drain and set aside.
Trim the ends off the zucchini, then cut each zucchini in half crosswise.
Using a zucchini or apple corer, core the inside of the zucchini, leaving ½-inch (1.3 cm) thick walls. Discard cores. Rinse zucchini thoroughly under cold water, then drain and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a skill over medium heat. Add ground beef and sauté, stirring often, until cooked through, roughly 7 to 10 minutes.
Add onions, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, nutmeg and dried mint and sauté for a few minutes, stirring once in a while, until soft.
Add tomatoes to skillet and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt.
Add rice and pine nuts to skillet, stir in, then remove from heat and set aside.
To make the tomato sauce, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low.
Add onions to saucepan and sauté until soft.
Add tomato puree, black pepper allspice, cinnamon and salt and stir. Bring to a gentle simmer.
In the meantime, stuff the inside of the zucchinis with the beef mixture. Use your fingers to make sure the stuffing gets all the way down inside the zucchini. Make sure the zucchini is not packed too full, as the rice will expand as it cooks.
Put the stuffed zucchini in the saucepan. If there is any extra filling left, place in the sauce inside the saucepan. Cover saucepan with a lid, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve zucchini with sauce and extra filing. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.