Nom Nom Nom
Mar. 1st, 2008 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gracedpalmerBeen a while since I made a food post, so here's the solution to my refrigerator fullness.
You see, it turned out that there were nice looking squash at the Asian market, and that there was a good coupon for plain yoghurt at Meijer. So I found myself in possession of several squash (zucchini and a green Asian one with stripes that I don't know the name of), and more than a pint of leftover tzatiki sauce, as well as plenty of other yoghurt. Middle Eastern food! I thought.
Turns out there's not much Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food using squash. Lots of eggplant (which some people seem convinced is a squash (it's not - it's a nightshade, like peppers and tomatoes)) but little zucchini. That which does exist is usually in company with lamb, which I don't eat. So, I engineered a vegetarian (not vegan, but could be easily) version of a few stuffed zucchini recipes.
Ingredients
- A quantity of summer squash, of a size suitable for stuffing, but not huge. I used one stripey green Japanese? squash about the size of a Nerf mini-football, or a little larger than a soda can. You could probably substitute two medium zucchini, yellow squash, or crooknecks, or a really big pattypan. To be vaguely authentic, the Lebanese Magda Cousa (which looks a good deal like the thingy I used) would be good. Just make sure it'll hold filling.
- About 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked (I boiled a big batch of dried ones, and put the surplus in the freezer for later). If you don't like chickpeas, like certain computer programmers I'm dating, you could use more walnuts, some good lentils (red or yellow, not brown), or anything nutty. Peanuts might work.
- About 3/4 cup rice, cooked (again, I made a pot full, put the rest in the freezer. I used white basmati, but any rice will do. If you use brown, you may wish to use less, mix it with white, or cut out the nuts in this recipe to prevent it from getting too heavy)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2-3 Tbs olive oil (Cutting the fat isn't really worth it here. The olive oil should be strong, and makes a good flavoring agent. Beans and rice are pretty low cal for the mass, and squash has negligible calorie content)
1/2 onion
1 cup yogurt/yogurt and garlic sauce/tzatziki
1 small tomato
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
Assuming you've cooked your rice and beans, cut the stem end off your squash and stick it in the stock box. Then, use a spoon to hollow the squash. I've rarely liked stuffed squash, despite the great idea it sounds like, because it's usually flavorless and mushy. To prevent that, scoop out a -lot- of squash. We're just making a squash shaped box to hold the filling. The walls ought to be about 1/4" to 3/8" thick when you're done. Rub the inside of the squash halves with olive oil, and salt and pepper. You can pour any excess out in a minute.
Chop your onion, tomato, and a little of the squash innards, while you heat up a frying pan. If you've got a big cast iron one with a lid, it's a good choice, because we can make it do double duty in a moment. Sautee the veggies for a bit in the rest of the olive oil (pour out the extra from the squash if it exists), then toss the rice and chickpeas and walnuts in. Cook them for a bit, and add salt, pepper, turmeric and allspice to the mix. Get it all warmed through, then transfer to another container (the one you had the rice or chickpeas in will work). Now, you've got a tastily flavored, oily pan. Put your squash in, cut side up, and turn the heat down (setting 2 on my electric stove).
Stuff the squash, and put the lid on. Those of you who haven't got a cast iron skillet will have to try an oven and baking dish, a dutch oven, or a similar solution. Don't add any water to the pan - if your pan was slippery enough, you'll just get a scorched peel and nothing will stick. Let the squash steam in its own vapor for about 15-20 minutes. Come back periodically and poke it with a sharp thing. If it's soft and easy to penetrate, it's done.
You have two yogurt choices. I poured the tzatziki on while the stuff was still hot, and let it warm up, because one of the recipes I was using involved cooked yogurt. In retrospect, cold yogurt might be as good. I haven't had a chance to compare. Serve out of the pan, with flatbread for cleaning up drippy yogurt and veggie juices.
You see, it turned out that there were nice looking squash at the Asian market, and that there was a good coupon for plain yoghurt at Meijer. So I found myself in possession of several squash (zucchini and a green Asian one with stripes that I don't know the name of), and more than a pint of leftover tzatiki sauce, as well as plenty of other yoghurt. Middle Eastern food! I thought.
Turns out there's not much Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food using squash. Lots of eggplant (which some people seem convinced is a squash (it's not - it's a nightshade, like peppers and tomatoes)) but little zucchini. That which does exist is usually in company with lamb, which I don't eat. So, I engineered a vegetarian (not vegan, but could be easily) version of a few stuffed zucchini recipes.
Ingredients
- A quantity of summer squash, of a size suitable for stuffing, but not huge. I used one stripey green Japanese? squash about the size of a Nerf mini-football, or a little larger than a soda can. You could probably substitute two medium zucchini, yellow squash, or crooknecks, or a really big pattypan. To be vaguely authentic, the Lebanese Magda Cousa (which looks a good deal like the thingy I used) would be good. Just make sure it'll hold filling.
- About 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked (I boiled a big batch of dried ones, and put the surplus in the freezer for later). If you don't like chickpeas, like certain computer programmers I'm dating, you could use more walnuts, some good lentils (red or yellow, not brown), or anything nutty. Peanuts might work.
- About 3/4 cup rice, cooked (again, I made a pot full, put the rest in the freezer. I used white basmati, but any rice will do. If you use brown, you may wish to use less, mix it with white, or cut out the nuts in this recipe to prevent it from getting too heavy)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2-3 Tbs olive oil (Cutting the fat isn't really worth it here. The olive oil should be strong, and makes a good flavoring agent. Beans and rice are pretty low cal for the mass, and squash has negligible calorie content)
1/2 onion
1 cup yogurt/yogurt and garlic sauce/tzatziki
1 small tomato
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
Assuming you've cooked your rice and beans, cut the stem end off your squash and stick it in the stock box. Then, use a spoon to hollow the squash. I've rarely liked stuffed squash, despite the great idea it sounds like, because it's usually flavorless and mushy. To prevent that, scoop out a -lot- of squash. We're just making a squash shaped box to hold the filling. The walls ought to be about 1/4" to 3/8" thick when you're done. Rub the inside of the squash halves with olive oil, and salt and pepper. You can pour any excess out in a minute.
Chop your onion, tomato, and a little of the squash innards, while you heat up a frying pan. If you've got a big cast iron one with a lid, it's a good choice, because we can make it do double duty in a moment. Sautee the veggies for a bit in the rest of the olive oil (pour out the extra from the squash if it exists), then toss the rice and chickpeas and walnuts in. Cook them for a bit, and add salt, pepper, turmeric and allspice to the mix. Get it all warmed through, then transfer to another container (the one you had the rice or chickpeas in will work). Now, you've got a tastily flavored, oily pan. Put your squash in, cut side up, and turn the heat down (setting 2 on my electric stove).
Stuff the squash, and put the lid on. Those of you who haven't got a cast iron skillet will have to try an oven and baking dish, a dutch oven, or a similar solution. Don't add any water to the pan - if your pan was slippery enough, you'll just get a scorched peel and nothing will stick. Let the squash steam in its own vapor for about 15-20 minutes. Come back periodically and poke it with a sharp thing. If it's soft and easy to penetrate, it's done.
You have two yogurt choices. I poured the tzatziki on while the stuff was still hot, and let it warm up, because one of the recipes I was using involved cooked yogurt. In retrospect, cold yogurt might be as good. I haven't had a chance to compare. Serve out of the pan, with flatbread for cleaning up drippy yogurt and veggie juices.