Stuffed Zucchini

Calabacitas Rellenas

As a kid, vegetables are suspicious. You’re told that they are healthy, that they are fun because they look like trees or that you cannot leave the table until all your vegetables are finished. This dish was one of the few vegetable stews that I, along with all of my cousins, would devour when we visited grandma’s house on Tuesdays. Vegetables eventually become interesting and delicious, but this recipe will cross generational boundaries, hook your kids, and change the world. Quote me.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

5
zucchini
1
yellow onion
2
cloves of garlic
2
jalapeños, one deseeded and the other whole
6
roma tomatoes
2 cups
homemade chicken stock
2 cups
mozzarella
To taste
salt
To taste
pepper
To taste
cumin

Instructions

  1. Start by boiling the zucchinis in salted water for 3-4 minutes. You do not want to fully cook them, just enough to make the center slightly soft.
  2. Take them out and split them in half, lengthwise.
    1. Scoop out and set aside the innards of the gourd.
    2. Combine the innards with the shredded mozzarella. Add about two teaspoons of salt.
  3. In a blender, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeño. (You can roast this beforehand if you’d like)
  4. Blend with the chicken stock and a teaspoon of cumin until homogenous.
  5. In a deep sautee pan, add a teaspoon of oil and cook your sauce for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant.
  6. Scoop the innards/cheese blend back into your zucchini and place inside the pan. Cook covered for 2 minutes and uncovered for 5-10 minutes.
    1. I like the consistency to have a bit of a bite, but to be fully cooked through. If you cook them for too long, the zucchini begins to turn into a mushy puree.
  7. Finish with finishing salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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