Monday

Stuffed vegetables





















Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 40 min
Cooking : 80 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium


Ingredients :
4 tomatoes
4 round courgettes
4 large onions

Stuffing:
150g cooked salt pork
150g cooked pork, veal or beef (left-overs or mince is fine)
150g long grain rice
300g parmesan, freshly grated if possible
6 eggs
1/2 bouquet flat parsley
5 cloves garlic
Breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Milled black pepper

For the tomato sauce:
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, black pepper

Recipe :
Onions and Courgettes:

Peel the onions, the slice top off, level bottoms so they will stand upright.
Bring a pan of salt water to the boil, then cook onions and their 'hats' for 10 mins.

Slice top off each courgette in same manner, level bottoms so they will stand upright, then cook in boiling water for 10 mins also.
Remove onions and courgettes, and refresh under running water.

Scoop out most of courgette flesh, and remove middle of onion, so that you are left with a hollow vegetable of about 1cm in thickness.
Keep onion flesh to one side.

Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce:

Wash and dry tomatoes.
Slice tops off and level bottom so that they will stand upright.
Remove flesh, leave a 'wall' of about 1cm in thickness.
Keep flesh to one side.
Sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt, then turn on their sides and leave to dry out for half an hour.
Put remaining tomato flesh in pan.

Peel onion and two cloves of garlic, then chop both together.
Chop remaining two tomatoes, then add to tomato already in pan, along with olive oil and mixed herbs.
Season and cook gently for 20 mins.

Stuffing:

Cook rice for 15 mins in salt water.
Strain and leave to cool.
Chop salt porc finely, along with other meat if need be.
Peel remaining garlic and press.
Mix meat with rice, garlic, parsley and onion.
Sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Beat eggs in a bowl and add to stuffing mixture.
Mix well and season.

Cooking stuffing:

Preheat oven to 210°C (400°F).
Fill vegetables with stuffing.
Brush a baking tray with a tablespoon olive oil and arrange vegetables.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, put tops back on and drizzle with olive oil.
Slide tray into oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Give tomato sauce a stir and pour into a sauce boat. Blend if need be.

Stuffed vegetables and sauce can be served cold or warm, with tomato sauce.


Advice :
Make an easy vegetarian option, by replacing meat with couscous or other vegatbles.