Stuffed Zucchini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meatball mix

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
5. 5
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
6. 6
   Add the rice, cumin, paprika, turmeric and salt to the meat, stir and cook for 3 minutes.

   Stove
7. 7
   Remove from the heat.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 8
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 9
   Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the insides with a teaspoon, leaving walls of about 5 mm.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 10
   Fill the zucchini with the mixture up to ¾ full: the rice swells as it cooks.

   💡Fill only three-quarters full: the uncooked rice swells inside the vegetable, and a full filling gets pushed out.
4. 11
   Arrange the zucchini, now stuffed, in a deep baking dish.

   Baking pan
5. 12
   Mix the stock and tomato paste and pour over the zucchini.
6. 13
   Cover the baking dish with foil.

   Baking panAluminum foil
7. 14
   Heat in a wide pot, add the tomato paste and cook 0 minutes.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 15
   Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so the sauce reduces.