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. 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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