Monday, September 2, 2013

Anna Sultana's Qarabali Mimli - Stuffed Zucchini, Maltese Style


While I was growing up, Pop had a garden.
Over the past forty years, I've usually had a garden.
It was just a given, a natural part of life, like having a toilet.

Pop wasn't the crunchy granola type.
I'm not the crunchy granola type.
A garden is just what one sometimes needs to cook Maltese style.

Take the ever popular zucchini.
Zucchini are usually available in grocery stores.
Yes, even here in the north end of Winnipeg, I can buy zucchini.
Skinny Sheldon Cooper sized zucchini.

And that just doesn't work for some Maltese recipes.
Nope, for a proper stuffed zucchini, you need need a Hulk sized zucchini.
You need a zucchini the thickness of a baseball bat.

And the best way to get those hefty big boys is to grow them in your garden.
A little neglect can be a very, very good thing.

                        
                         Qarabali Mimli
                       
grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan         
preheat oven to 425ยบ        
bake 60 minutes

Parboil for 5 minutes
2 large zucchini, which have been halved horizontally

Let cool and scoop out some of the pulp.
(Go easy - you want a firm boat-shaped container left)

Slice
2 large onions
8 large potatoes
Layer the slices in the greased baking dish.

Place in a dutch oven over low heat 
50 grams butter
Add
2 large onions, chopped
Brown the onions.
Add
200 grams ground pork
100 grams bacon, chopped
Simmer 5 minutes.

Add
the scooped-out zucchini pulp
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Fill the zucchini with the mixture.
Place them, filling side up, on the potatoes in the baking dish.
Bake 60 minutes.

Serve hot with your favourite sauce.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Margaret. Delicious recipe. Thanks. Just thought to let you know that some of your Stuffed Zucchini recipe refers to eggplants!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Pete. Glad you liked the recipe.
    Thanks for telling me. Must've had a senior moment when I was typing. It's fixed now :)

    ReplyDelete

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