Stuffed Zucchini with Chicken and Pine Nuts

Stuffed Zucchini with Chicken and Pine Nuts has incredible Turkish flavors. Onion and cinnamon, paprika and cumin combine to make this stuffed zucchini an easy culinary masterpiece!

My garden is starting to overflow with zucchini. I only planted two, but that is enough for two of us. Manservant is not fond of vegetables and usually they are the last thing on his dinner plate that disappear. He does like salad, but cooked veggies just are not his thing. Of course last week I found myself with a mammoth zucchini; about the length of my forearm. I didn’t grow it, but since I was babysitting my neighbor’s chickens I was also allowed to partake of her garden. Yes, her garden was filled with zucchini and so I brought three home. I could have fried them or made them into zucchini bread, but I still have frozen zucchini shreds in my freezer from last year!

Stuffed Zucchini is what I had in my head, so after consulting with my Jerusalem cookbook I began to cook. This recipe was originally intended for an eggplant and for ground lamb, but as you know I’m not so good at taking direction. Just as well, because though I have no doubt that lamb and eggplant would be awesome, so was this stuffed zucchini with chicken and pine nuts. This recipe was a real winner. Simple to prepare and though it took a while to bake, by the time it was ready, my kitchen was clean!

As for those chickens and chicken sitting…it’s not a bad gig when you can collect over a dozen eggs. The hardest part is getting them into the coop at night, but I discovered if I wait until just about dark they are already cooped up, sound asleep. These are smart chickens. And pretty chickens. And they apparently don’t eat zucchini. Good for me, though I’m not so sure Manservant feels the same. I did spy him eating just the meat filling!

Now if I could just chicken sit in a few more weeks. My neighbor’s tiny Seckel pears are almost ripe and her peach tree is gloriously covered in fuzzy globes. One thing’s for sure…the chickens can’t get those either!

Here’s a few more stuffed veggies to try:

Stuffed Onions from Give Recipe

Roasted Red Peppers with Pesto and Goat Cheese from Aggie’s Kitchen

And a Few More Goodies!

Spinach Za’atar Salad with Crispy Bread

Cauliflower Salad with Hummus and Tahini

Grilled Bread Salad with Peppers and Onions

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Stuffed Zucchini with Chicken and Pine Nuts

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• Author: Abbe Odenwalder
• Prep Time: 25 Minutes
• Cook Time: 60-90 Minutes
• Total Time: 85 to 115 Minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Baking/Stove Top
• Cuisine: Turkish, Middle Eastern

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Description

Stuffed Zucchini with Chicken and Pine Nuts has incredible Turkish flavors. Onion and cinnamon, paprika and cumin, combine to make this stuffed zucchini an easy culinary masterpiece!

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Ingredients

1 Large Zucchini (about as big as my forearm!)

6 T olive oil

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1 1/2 T sweet paprika

1 T ground cinnamon

2 medium onions, finely diced

1 lb ground chicken

1 1/2 T chopped Italian parsley

2 t tomato paste

3 t sugar

2/3 c water

1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 t tamarind paste

4 cinnamon sticks

Salt and fresh ground pepper

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.

Split zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place skin side down in a roasting pan that will accommodate both halves snugly. Brush flesh with up to 4 T of olive oil and season with 1 t of salt and lots of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden. These do not need to cook all the way through. When they are finished remove from oven and reduce temperature to 375.

While the zucchini are cooking start on your filling. Heat remaining 2 T of olive oil in a large frying pan. Mix together the cumin, paprika and ground cinnamon and add half of the spice mix to the pan, along with the diced onions. Cook over medium high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often.

Add ground chicken, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1 t of sugar, 1 t of salt and some ground black pepper. Cook and stir for another 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Place the remaining spice mix in a large measuring cup and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, the remaining 2 t sugar, the cinnamon sticks and 1/2 t salt. Stir well.

Pour the spiced liquid into the bottom of the zucchini roasting pan. Spoon the chicken mixture into the zucchini. Cover the pan tightly with foil and return to oven. Depending on the size of the zucchini, these may take up to 1 1/2 hours to bake. (Mine did not take more than 1 hour.) Remove foil every half hour and baste with the sauce, adding more water if it begins to dry out.

Serve zucchini, warm or at room temperature, over rice and with a salad. Enjoy!

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Notes

Thank you Yotam Ottolenghi.

Recipe may also be made with eggplants and ground lamb.

Keywords: zucchini, stuffed zucchini, mains, Turkish Food, veggies