Hello, young Padawan
While the heatwave is taking a break, let’s make a cute recipe in the oven. To make in the morning or the evening in the cool; first, because that way your kitchen will not rise in temperature, and then, because, like all stuffed vegetables, it’s excellent cold, and even better warmed up!
“Did you know that?” : The lycopene contained in cooked tomatoes prepares the skin for UV rays and makes it less sensitive to sunburn.
Make way for stuffed zucchini; let’s go.
onion
The onion has multiple properties and benefits. Source of manganese and vitamin B6, it also has strong antioxidant power. The vitamin C it contains also contributes to healthy bones, cartilage, teeth, and gums.
Onion is a panacea for the cardiovascular system thanks to its ability to decrease platelet aggregation and blood triglycerides. Finally, the quercetin it contains helps increase the blood’s antioxidant activity.
Now, let’s go for the recipe !
“Chill by Caro” stuffed zucchini
For two servings
2 round zucchini
3 tbsp. (1.4 oz) of fine rice such as Basmati or Thai rice
3 tbsp (1.4 oz) of red kidney beans
1 small yellow onion
1 clove of garlic
1 small ripe tomato
4 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. of olive oil
2 tsp. of Provence herbs + 1 pinch for the baking dish.
1 tsp. of Espelette pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. of white wine
2 tbsp. of water
Salt, Madagascar pepper
Optional : Two small bowls of green salad, lettuce type, seasoned to your liking.
Recipe
The day before or at least 4 hours before, soak the rice and red beans in a large volume of water. Remember to change the water twice.
Wash the zucchini and the tomato. Peel the onion and the garlic, finely chop the onion and pass the garlic clove through a garlic press after removing the germ.
Cut the cap off the zucchini, leaving a space wide enough to fit a tablespoon into it. Empty the zucchini using your tablespoon, then thinly slice the flesh. Set aside the empty zucchini and its hat to stuff them after. Cut the tomato into small dice, and finely chop the pieces of dried tomatoes.
Preheat the oven to 356°F.
In a hot frying pan, pour a tablespoon of olive oil, the garlic, the onion, and the bay leaf and brown them over medium-high heat for three minutes. Add the freshly drained rice and red beans, the flesh of the zucchini, the tomatoes, and the dried tomatoes. After three minutes of cooking, stir and deglaze with half the water – i.e., one tablespoon – and the white wine. Reduce heat to medium, add the Espelette pepper, Provence herbs, salt, and pepper, stir and continue cooking until the rice and beans are “al dente,” about 5 min. Turn off the heat.
In a baking dish, pour the olive oil and the rest of the water – i.e., one tablespoon. Add the pinch of Provence herbs, salt, and pepper. Using a tablespoon, stuff the zucchini with this sumptuous pan-fried mix to the brim, but not too much so that the cooking remains optimal (the rest will serve as an accompaniment). Put the zucchini in the dish, cover with their little hat, then, using a kitchen brush, generously brush the zucchini with the seasoned water-oil mixture in the bottom of the dish.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 356°F, brush them again halfway through cooking. They are cooked when they are tender but still al dente. Do you see the subtlety? I think so.
Presentation
On a pretty summer plate, place a stuffed zucchini in the center of the plate and arrange the rest of the stuffing around it with love, glory, and beauty. You can accompany this sumptuous dish with a small bowl of green salad, for the crunchy-raw touch.
This recipe will pair beautifully with a red wine with characters, such as a Côtes-du-Rhône from Maison Chapoutier, or even a Gigondas, for example. For the whites, you can go for Italian white wine, elegant, aromatic, but mineral, like a Gavi.
With all this, if you don’t have a great vacation, I’m coming to play you (very badly) a ukulele song – so it will be much better for you that this recipe be enough, trust me, lol.
XO 🍅
