CookEat Recipe
Whole Zucchini Stuffed with Veal
Whole hollowed zucchini filled with finely chopped braised veal, egg, Parmesan and softened bread, browned in butter and finished in the reserved meat juices.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 6 fairly thick medium zucchini, about 1.2 kg total; 250 g lean veal, cut into small pieces; 30 g cured pork belly, finely diced; 30 g onion, finely chopped; 20 g carrot, finely chopped; 20 g celery, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; 1 tablespoon olive oil; About 300 ml water, added in small ladlefuls; 1 egg; 20 g grated Parmesan; 40 g soft white bread crumb; About 100 ml milk for cooking the bread; A small pinch ground nutmeg; 30 g butter for cooking the zucchini; Salt and black pepper.
Step 2
Put the veal in a saucepan with the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, cured pork belly and olive oil. Season lightly and cook, turning often, until its moisture has evaporated and the meat and vegetables begin to brown. Add about 100 ml water, simmer until mostly absorbed, then add a second and a third small ladleful as needed. Cover between additions and cook gently for about 45–60 minutes until the veal is tender, adding a little more water if needed so some juices remain. Strain and reserve these juices separately.
Step 3
While the meat cooks, wash and trim the zucchini. Leave them whole and use a purpose-made vegetable corer or a narrow apple corer from each end to remove the central pulp, carefully widening the channel with a small knife if needed. Leave a firm wall about 6–8 mm thick and do not pierce the sides. The simpler alternative is to halve the zucchini lengthwise and hollow with a teaspoon.
Step 4
Simmer the bread crumb in the milk for about 3–5 minutes, stirring to a thick soft paste; let cool briefly. Chop the drained cooked veal mixture very finely with a knife. Mix with the bread paste, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg and a little salt and pepper. Fill the zucchini cavities, leaving a little room for the filling to expand. Refrigerate only briefly if the pan is not ready, then cook without delay.
Step 5
Melt the 30 g butter in a wide shallow pan and heat until light hazelnut brown, without burning. Add the stuffed zucchini and turn carefully to colour their sides. Add the reserved strained meat juices, cover and simmer gently for about 30–45 minutes, turning carefully and adding a little hot water if the pan dries. Cook until the zucchini are tender and the filling centres reach at least 74°C. Serve hot with the reduced juices.
Step 6
For the alternative fine veal-and-chicken filling, use eight fairly thick zucchini, about 1.6 kg total, to hold the larger batch. Replace the main cooked filling with 150 g raw lean veal, 130 g raw chicken breast, 50 g prosciutto, 30 g softened butter, 20 g Parmesan, 3 eggs, 20 g soft bread crumb soaked in 30 ml milk, a little nutmeg and a small pinch salt. Make a thick white sauce separately: melt 5 g additional butter with 3 g flour, gradually add 45 ml milk and cook, stirring, for 3–5 minutes; measure 3 tablespoons. Finely mince and pound the raw veal, chicken and prosciutto with the soaked bread, 30 g butter and Parmesan; press through a sieve, then mix in the thick sauce, eggs and nutmeg. Keep cold, fill the prepared zucchini and cook immediately. No pudding mould or liver topping is used for this zucchini filling.
Step 7
To cook the alternative filling without meat juices, brown the stuffed zucchini in 40 g butter, add about 100 ml hot water to prevent scorching, cover and cook gently for about 35–50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and every filling centre reaches 74°C. For a tomato finish, prepare a sauce with 7–8 chopped ripe tomatoes, about 800 g, ¼ onion, 1 garlic clove, a finger-length piece of celery, a few basil leaves, a small handful parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Put everything in a saucepan together, simmer for about 30–40 minutes to a flowing creamy consistency and pass through a sieve. Brown the stuffed zucchini in the butter, add this hot sauce instead of the water and simmer covered to the same tenderness and temperature. These larger-batch alternatives serve eight; allow roughly 2 hours including preparation.
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