Calabacines Rellenos de Carne / Zucchini Stuffed with Ground Meats

Two things stood out for me when I read about this dish in The Cuisines of Spain. First, there are no peppers or pimentón. It seems to me if you use olive oil and a mild red pepper, you can call it Spanish. Second, the preparation called for grating the tomato. Grating tomatoes and onions seems to be a popular method in Spain.

I went to the kitchen section of the local mega market and was amazed by the types of graters. I liked one that was a box fitted with a snap on grater as the lid. I didn't get it as I already have a box grater, a micro plane, and cheese grater for hard cheeses. That's three graters on one boat and that's enough.

Mise en place
Front row: Olive oil, bread crumbs, Manchego cheese, grated tomato
Middle row: Hollowed out zucchini, ground beef & pork
Back row: Diced onion, diced zucchini pulp

Ingredients:

• 2 small Zucchini, halved lengthwise
• 1 oz/30 ml Olive Oil
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 1 Tomato, grated and skin discarded
  
• 2.5 oz/70 g Ground Pork
• 2.5 oz/70 g Ground Beef
• 1 tblsp/3 g Fine Bread Crumbs
• 1 tblsp/3 g Semi Curado Manchego Cheese, grated

Fresh from the oven.

Put It Together:

1. Scrape out the pulp from the zucchini halves creating a little dugout canoe.
2. Finely dice the zucchini pulp and reserve.
3. Cut the tomato in half and grate each half. Discard the skins.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Add the olive oil, onion, and grated tomato to the hot pan.
6. Sauté until the onion is softened.
7. Add the beef, pork, and zucchini pulp to the pan.
8. Turn the heat to high and break up the meat to small pieces.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
10. Cook until the meat is crumbly and cooked.
11. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
12. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini halves.
13. Sprinkle the tops with the bread crumbs.
14. Sprinkle the tops with the cheese.
15. Bake for 30 minutes.
16. Remove from oven and allow to cool for five minutes. This will firm up the filling.
17. Serve.

Ready to eat.

Review

• Shirlee – Liked It
• John - Liked It
• Do Again - Yes
• Leftovers – None

What I'll Do Next Time
I need to figure out a sauce for these little canoes to be floating in. Maybe a spicy tomato or a cheesy mornay.