This recipe for Stuffed Zucchini is typical of northern Italy specifically from Liguria or Ligurian Riviera. The Italian name is “Zucchini Ripieni” They are stuffed with tuna and they are spectacular because of how rich they are, I like them as much as the Pasticho de Aubergines that I also have published here.
Ingredients to prepare the Stuffed Zucchini:
• 4 medium zucchini
• 1 can of tuna of 150 gr
• Olive oil, for frying and for other uses
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 tablespoon of capers (we rinse them to remove a little salt)
• A piece of bread
• 2 eggs
• 1 medium onion
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
Preparation of the Stuffed Zucchini:
1. The first thing we will do is boil the zucchini for 10 minutes, drain them and let them cool a little, then cut the tips, chop them in half lengthwise and remove the pulp with a spoon.
2. Now we will finely chop the onion and garlic and we are going to fry them for a while in olive oil. Then we add the pulp of the zucchini that we just removed, add a little pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a container, we chop the bread into small pieces and soak it with the milk. In another separate container, mix the tuna, anchovies, capers, eggs, cheese and the softened bread and mix well until obtaining a paste. The next thing will be to add the fried onion, garlic and pulp of the zucchini and mix again.
4. The original recipe calls for pine nuts, my mother said in the absence of pine nuts add nuts and that’s how it was. A cup of crushed walnuts gives them a delicious crunchy touch
With a brush we paint the tray with oil, arrange the zucchini and fill them with the mixture that we have made. We add a few drops of olive oil on top and another bit of Parmesan cheese.
5. We will bake them between 20 and 25 minutes at 200ºC until a toasted capita forms on them. Anyway, as I always tell them, keep an eye on it from time to time because each oven is different, so they will not burn.
Ready! They are simply delicious. Do not stop trying them and leave me your comments that I read them all and I love knowing your opinions.