Zucchini Boats With Lamb And Yogurt Fillings Recipes

ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Trim the ends off zucchini. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving 1/2-in. shells. Finely chop pulp. , In a skillet, cook beef, zucchini pulp, onion, mushrooms and peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat. Add 1/2 cup cheese, ketchup, salt and pepper; mix well. Spoon into the zucchini shells. Place in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° until zucchini is tender, 25-30 minutes.

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Use a melon baller to separate and remove seeds and pulp separately from the zucchini, carving out each half and leaving about a half-inch shell. Chop zucchini pulp into pieces about 1/4 inch in diameter. Discard seeds.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground lamb; continue to cook and stir until lamb is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir chopped zucchini into the lamb mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture until the zucchini is hot, about 3 minutes. Drain excess grease. Season lamb mixture with coarse salt and black pepper.
• Remove skillet from heat. Stir tomato sauce, tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup mint leaves through the lamb mixture; spoon into the zucchini halves. Put stuffed zucchini halves into a large baking dish. Pour water into the baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Mix bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mint leaves over the zucchini and top with the bread crumb mixture. Continue baking until the top is crusty and browned, about 10 minutes more.

ZUCCHINI BOATS WITH LAMB AND YOGURT FILLINGS

Steps:

• Place the yogurt in a paper-towel-lined sieve and let drain for 2 hours. Meanwhile, halve 4 of the zucchini lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and flesh. Sprinkle the insides with 2 teaspoons of the salt, place cut side down on paper towels and let drain for 2 hours. Cut 3 of the remaining zucchini into small dice, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt, place in a sieve and let drain for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, finely dice the last zucchini. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and finely diced zucchini and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Crumble the lamb into the skillet and stir until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Add the mint and olives.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat all of the drained zucchini dry. Stir the diced zucchini into the yogurt and set aside. Divide the lamb mixture among the zucchini shells and place in a shallow baking dish that's been lightly oiled. Top with the yogurt mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the zucchini and place under the broiler until browned. Place 2 stuffed zucchini halves on each of 4 plates and serve.

LAMB STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Wash the zucchini well and cut the stem off. If using regular long zucchini, slice in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, hollow out the middle of the zucchini while keeping a "boat" of outer flesh intact. Swirl 1T. olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish and place the zucchini boats in the dish.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a non-stick medium fry pan, saute the onions and garlic in the other T. of olive oil. Let them soften but do not brown.
• Add the ground lamb and cook until the lamb is mostly cooked through.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the bread crumbs and rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Beat the egg lightly in a separate bowl then pour over the lamb mixture and stir to combine.
• Spoon the lamb mixture into each zucchini cavity, mounding to fill. Any filling that falls around the zucchini will just make nice browned bits to eat.
• Cover with foil loosely and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is nicely softened and stuffing is browned.

MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB-STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve the stem ends of the zucchini and with a zucchini corer hollow out the zucchini, being careful not to pierce the skins and leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Chop the zucchini flesh and reserve it.
• In a heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the lamb with the allspice, the mint, salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until it is no longer pink. Transfer the lamb with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet, and in the skillet sauté the onion, stirring, until it is softened. Stir in the garlic, the reserved zucchini flesh, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté the mixture until it is golden. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the lamb mixture, the pine nuts, and 2 tablespoons of the yogurt, and let the filling cool. Stuff the zucchini with the filling and put the reserved stem ends back in place over the cut ends, securing them with wooden picks. Arrange the zucchini on a steamer rack set over simmering water, steam them, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are tender, and let them cool slightly.
• In the top of a double-boiler set over simmering water whisk together the remaining yogurt and the cornstarch mixture, stirred, cook the sauce, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened, and let it cool slightly.
• Cut the zucchini crosswise into 1-inch rounds, arrange the rounds on a platter, and spoon a dollop of the sauce onto each round. Sprinkle the zucchini rounds with the sesame seeds and serve them at room temperature.

ZUCCHINI BOATS WITH TABBOULEH FILLING

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the bulgur with the salt, pour enough boiling water over the bulgur to cover it by 1 inch, and let the bulgur soak for 1 hour. Drain the bulgur and squeeze it dry in a kitchen towel. In a bowl stir together the bulgur, the lemon juice, the oil, and the garlic and let the bulgur marinate, covered and chilled, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. With a melon-ball cutter scoop out the zucchini flesh, reserving it for another use and leaving 1/4-inch shells. On a steamer rack set over boiling water steam the zucchini shells, cut sides up and covered partially, in batches for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are just tender. Transfer the shells, cut sides down, to paper towels to drain and let them cool. Stir the minced mint, the parsley, the cucumber, the scallion, the tomato, and salt and pepper to taste into the bulgur mixture, divide the tabbouleh among the zucchini shells, and garnish the zucchini boats with the mint sprigs.

SPICY LAMB WITH ZUCCHINI AND SPICY YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce a day ahead, or at the least, a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to properly meld together.
• Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and mix until well blended. If you don't have a food processor, just chop as finely as you can. Place in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the zucchini and garlic in the olive oil.
• In a cast iron pan, cook the lamb with the onions until the lamb is brown and the onions are soft.
• Add the zucchini and garlic to the lamb, mix well.
• Serve with the Spicy Yogurt Sauce over top. You can also serve it on rice, if you like.