Stuffed Zucchini- Iraqi Style
By: sarahworldcook
Published: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 4:32pm

Ingredients




8 small-medium zucchini squash, cut in half lengthwise and hollowed out
1/2 pound ground beef or lamb
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Adobo with Cumin by Goya)
pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water (more or less)
paprika for garnish
olive oil
2 tablespoons sofrito blend (optional)

Preparation

1 Clean and trim any spots off the zucchini;prepare as above- reserve the inside that has been removed. 2 Lay down the zucchini in a baking dish face-up like a boat. 3 Salt and lightly pepper the inside of the zucchini. 4 Sauté the meat, onion and garlic. 5 Drain off the fat and then add the seasonings, paste and water. 6 Put the meat mixture in the hollowed out parts of the zucchini. 7 Cut the reserved zucchini into chunks and toss with about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. 8 Spoon the zucchini chunks over top of the meat. 9 Sprinkle zucchini again with seasoned salt lightly, followed by paprika over top of everything. 10 Bake for approximately 1 hour at 400 degrees covered or until the fork pierces the zucchini easily. 11 Remove cover/foil and bake for about 15 or more minutes to dry up any excess juice.

About


The Iraqi people love stuffed foods. My Iraqi friend served these to us but in a little different shape. She took the small zucchinis and cut them in half in the middle and scooped out the center- making each like little cups. I thought that was a little too labor-intensive and decided to just cut them lengthwise. Serve over rice or with flat bread.