CookEat Recipe
Whole Zucchini Stuffed with Tuna
Whole zucchini filled with finely chopped tuna, egg, Parmesan and a little of their own flesh, gently cooked in butter and smooth tomato sauce.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 4 fairly thick medium zucchini, about 800 g total; 150 g tuna preserved in oil, drained; 2 eggs; 10 g grated Parmesan; 50 g pulp taken from the same zucchini; A small pinch ground nutmeg; A little black pepper; no added salt in the filling; 25 g butter; 4 ripe medium tomatoes, about 400 g, chopped; ⅛ medium onion, about 20 g, finely chopped; ½ garlic clove, finely chopped; A small piece celery, about 15 g, finely chopped; 2 small basil leaves and a few parsley leaves, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil for the tomato sauce; A little salt and black pepper for the sauce.
Step 2
For the tomato sauce, put the four chopped tomatoes, one-eighth onion, half garlic clove, small celery piece, basil, parsley and tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan together. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 25–35 minutes until reduced to a flowing creamy consistency, then press through a sieve. This is a half batch of the separate tomato-sauce recipe; keep it hot for the zucchini.
Step 3
Wash and trim the zucchini. Keep them whole and carefully remove the central pulp with a vegetable corer or narrow apple corer working from both ends, widening gently with a small knife if needed. Leave walls about 6–8 mm thick without piercing them. Reserve 50 g of the pulp, finely chop it and press out excess liquid.
Step 4
Chop the drained oil-packed tuna very finely with a knife. Mix with the eggs, Parmesan, reserved zucchini pulp, nutmeg and a little pepper. Do not salt the filling. Spoon or pipe into the whole zucchini, leaving a little space for expansion. Keep cold only briefly if needed, and cook promptly.
Step 5
Melt the butter in a wide shallow pan until light hazelnut brown, without burning. Add the stuffed zucchini and turn carefully to colour the sides.
Step 6
Pour in the hot sieved tomato sauce, cover and simmer gently for about 30–45 minutes until the zucchini are tender and the filling centres reach at least 74°C. Turn carefully during cooking and add a splash of hot water if the sauce becomes too thick. Serve hot with the sauce.
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Cooked 4 times