This time I made my readers choose what kind of recipe I should write next. So I posted a poll on my Facebook page and here is the result: a vegetarian dish. How much do you guys like zucchini? I love them; in a salad, sauteéd, fried or in a form of a boat. However, these rice filled zucchini are simply delicious!
The most common zucchini is the long green one, right? Sometimes I see also yellow ones (I need to buy them one day) and then one day I found the green round zucchini. Amazing! And the other day I also so yellow round zucchini (I have to try those as well)! Anyway, this recipe is about the cute, green, round zucchini.
Rice filled zucchini is an easy dish, made with simple ingredients. Humble as a zucchini can be, can also be the star of your special dinner. They make a perfect combination with aromatic, butter flavoured rice.
Ingredients for two portions of rice filled zucchini:
- 2 zucchini (round)
- 125-150 g rice (I used the purple one)
- 2 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1-2 tsp of butter
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Wash the zucchini and cut off the top. I kept the tops of course; we don’t throw the food away and besides that, they are also a cute garnish. Furthermore, with a spoon, hollow out the zucchini. They are tender and you don’t need any special tools; a spoon will be just fine. But be careful not to go through the zucchini. I used the soft zucchini pulp to make a nice, creamy sauce. Keep reading to find out more about it.
You will need a smaller pot for the rice, a small pan for the sauce and another pot or pan for the zucchini. Peel and chop the garlic and onions. Half of the onions and garlic is for the sauce, the other half is for the rice.
Let’s start with the rice, shall we? Drizzle some olive oil in the smaller pot. Once it gets hot, add the garlic and onion and sauteé them for 30 seconds. Now add the rice and stir for another 30 seconds until the rice is coated with oil and slightly transparent. Then cover with hot water (about 1 cm above rice level), add a pinch of salt and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce and steam the zucchini. To steam the zucchini, place them (cut part down) together with the top parts in the pan or pot, pour in hot water (enough to cover 1 cm of the pan) and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Keep checking on them and try not to overcook them. Better a harder zucchini than a mashed one.
In the small pan, combine olive oil, zucchini pulp, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Sauteé for 5 minutes and then, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. I made my sauce thick and creamy. However, you can always add some liquid to it, to make it runny.
It’s time to serve this special and humble rice filled zucchini. Place the zucchini on a serving plate or on single plates and sprinkle the inside with some salt. To make the rice really tasty, add 1-2 tsp of butter to it and stir until the butter has melted. Then, fill up the zucchini, add the creamy sauce and don’t forget to garnish with the cute zucchini top.
Enjoy!
