Stuff it

One of the easiest ways to celebrate the insane abundance of produce right now is to stuff it. You can use full size tomatoes, bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini and eggplant as containers for grain based dishes, getting them out of the limelight but still on the plate. And some of them freeze well to make a nutritious, colorful winter meal.         


Corn stuffed tomatoes

A double header for seasonal eating right now: corn inside tomatoes.  
serves 1 tomato per person
4-6 lg firm ripe tomatoes
2 c corn off the cob  
1 sm red onion, minced
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped 
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper    
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp cheddar or mozzarella  cheese, grated
olive oil for the baking pan
1/2 c breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbsp cornmeal 

 Heat oven to 375º.
Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato to open it up. With a teaspoon, scoop out the pulp and seeds, leaving 1/2" shell. Turn the tomatoes upside down on a platter to drain 15 minutes.                  

 Combine the corn, onion, cilantro , red pepper flakes, salt, freshly ground pepper, melted butter and grated cheese in a small bowl.  

Brush a baking pan large enough to hold the tomatoes in one layer with olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes in the pan. Season each with salt and pepper.  Fill each with the corn mixture, mounding the top. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of each one. Bake at 375º 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the tomatoes are soft.

Tuna stuffed tomatoes

This is an Italian olive oil dish. 

Makes 4

4 tbsp olive oil
4 ripe, flawless medium/large heirloom tomatoes (don't buy paste tomatoes)
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 7 oz can oil packed tuna
2/3 c fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers
6-8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated
Sea salt to your taste

Preheat oven to 375º. Get out a baking dish with room for all the tomatoes and very lightly coat the bottom with 1 tbsp olive oil.
Carefully slice a very thin slice of the base of any tomato that doesn't stand up straight. Do not puncture the interior. Slice the top off each tomato and spoon out as much of the juicy insides as you can without puncturing the sides; you need a solid shell for the filling. Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with a pinch of salt, turn each upside down on a paper towel to drain.

While they drain, coat the bottom of a small frying pan with 2-3 tbsp olive oil depending on the size of the pan. Warm over med heat. Sauté the garlic, onions and black pepper over med/low heat until the onions are soft, maybe 4 minutes. Don't burn the garlic. Stir in the breadcrumbs, oregano and tuna with its oil. Cook 1 minute to warm, the remove from heat. Stir in capers, 1/2 c parsley and the olives. Blend well.

Line the tomatoes in a baking dish and stuff each to overflowing, packing down as you go. Sprinkle each top with 1 tbsp of grated cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake 20 min. at 375º. Cool to room temp and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top of each one to serve.

NOTE; You can also fill 6 tomatoes by adding 1 c cooked orzo to the mix just before stuffing.

  

Baby Peppers Stuffed with Chard and Mozzarella Nowadays packs of multicolor  baby peppers are widely available and this is a great way to handle them.  

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch chard, trimmed, stalks and leaves finely chopped

Salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and minced
2 mild red chilies, deseeded and very finely chopped (roasted ones are even more yummy)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
3 tbsp pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/3 c shredded or grated mozzarella

2 lbs mixed baby peppers (ie, about 20 baby peppers)

Heat the oven to 400º. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, then for 15 minutes fry the chard, ¼ tsp salt and a generous grind of black pepper, stirring often, until the stalks are soft and starting to brown. Add garlic, chili and oregano, fry 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Cool, then stir in the pine nuts and cheeses.

Cut a little V from the stalk of each pepper down almost to the base and scoop out and discard the seeds. Stuff each pepper with the chard mix, then lay them all cut side up on the lined baking pan. Roast 20 minutes, until the peppers are soft and caramelized. Cool at least 10 minutes and serve warm or later at room temperature. (These make great picnic and boat food.)

Greek style stuffed bell peppers 

 Before I get to the recipe, a reminder that for kids you can stuff peppers with mac and cheese.  And now back to this always useful vegan Greek recipe, peppers being much easier to stuff than grape leaves.

serves 4
4 lg unblemished green bell peppers.
1 cup cooked short or medium grain rice
1/2 c olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley 
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1/2 c currants
1/2 c pine nuts
1/4 c dry white wine
1/3 c tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
extra for the baking dish: 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp white wine, 2 tbsp water, juice of one lemon

Blanch the peppers. When removed from water, make sure each can stand up straight. slice a bit off the bottom if necessary but try not to open up the bottom.
Preheat oven to 325º. 
In a sauté pan, combine olive oil, garlic, dill and parsley. Slowly bring up the heat. When hot, add scallions, pine nuts and currants. Sauté 5 minutes. Add wine and tomato paste, stirring to blend. Cook 2-3 minutes until everything is hot. Stir in the rice. Season with salt and pepper.  Pack the peppers with the rice mixture and top each with a sprinkle of oregano. Fill the baking dish with the liquids listed above. Stand up the peppers in it. Cover the dish with toil and bake at 325º 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly to serve. Can also be refrigerated and served cold or carried off to a picnic. Can be halved to serve 8.

Italian stuffed eggplant

A meatless version (although it does have anchovies) if you're tired of the Turkish Imam Bayaldi or prefer something hot to a recipe for room temp.   With its extensive use of salty foods (capers, olives, anchovies, this is a summer dish meant for bodies that sweat.)
Serves   6-8 

 4 sm or 2 med eggplants
6 tbsp olive oil
3 lg garlic cloves
8 anchovies
6 flat leaf parsley sprigs
1 tbsp capers, drained
2 tbsp pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 c breadcrumbs 
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 thin slices fresh tomato 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste        
       
 Heat the oven to 350º.

Halve the eggplants and scoop out the pulp, leaving a 1/2" wall of skin and eggplant.  Chop the removed pulp. 
Chop the garlic, anchovies and parsley together.   
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the finely chopped eggplant pulp and sauté 1 minute.  Add the garlic/parsley mix.  Add the capers, olives, oregano, breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes and 3 tbsp olive oil. Stir to blend.  Remove from heat and stuff into the eggplant shells.  Top each shell with overlapping tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Dribble the remaining oli e oil over the tomatoes. 
Arrange the stuffed eggplant on a baking sheet (cover with parchment or foil for fast cleanup. Bake at 350º for 1/2 hr or until the eggplants are bubbling and piping hot.  Serve immediately.            

 Lamb stuffed eggplant   
 serves  4-5

5-6 small eggplants

½ c olive oil                              

1 lg onion, chopped                  

1 lb ground lamb                      

3 tbsp pine nuts

¼ c chopped parsley

½ tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp Aleppo pepper or chipotle chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste

6-7 med ripe tomatoes skinned and diced or 1  28 oz can chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350º. Peel eggplants lengthwise at intervals to stripe. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet and sauté eggplants on all sides until golden. Arrange in a baking dish and salt. Slit lengthwise ¾” deep, without hitting the bottom to half them.

Add remaining oil to the skillet and over medium heat sauté the onion until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add lamb and nuts. Cook over medium heat until lamb is brown. Add parsley, spices, salt and pepper and half the tomatoes.  Stuff the lamb mix into the eggplant slits as much as you can. Cover them with the remainder. Mix the remaining tomatoes with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour over the stuffed eggplants. Cover the pan with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and if there is too much juice cook 10 more. Now you can serve hot or you can cool and wrap each eggplant with as much stuffing as possible in foil and put the foiled eggplants in a large freezer bag for safe keeping. Defrost frozen in a 350º oven or defrost in the fridge and microwave to serve.

Stuffed Zucchini and Summer Squash 

I posed a zucchini boat recipe on August 10 in the zuchini post.  Last summer I posted one for the French provincial way of stuffing zucchini with meat, which is not in boats but in rounds.  In How to Fix a Leek...the book, I have included a recipe for stuffing summer squash.        




Mushroom Stuffed Cherry Peppers
Here's a transition recipe into Fall, a colorful starter or snack.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp oregano dried leaves
 2 scallions, diced
 8 button mushrooms, diced
 1/2 c minced herbs (parsley, chives, rosemary, sage)
1/3 c soft ricotta cheese
 pinch ground cayenne pepper
 freshly ground black pepper to your taste
 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
  8 cherry peppers
 Heat oven to 350º. 
 In a small sauté pan or skillet, warm the olive oil and add the garlic, scallion, mushrooms and oregano. Sauté over med/low heat 3 -5 min til the mushrooms are soft and golden. Remove from heat and add   the remaining ingredients except the cherry peppers. 

Wash and core the peppers. Dot each one inside with olive oil           and a pinch of salt. Stuff each with the mushroom mixture. Arrange in a single layer in a ceramic baking dish with 1/4 c water on the bottom.  Bake 5 minutes or until peppers are soft. Serve warm or at room temperature on a bed of arugula or baby spinach.