Stuffed Zucchinis with Cheese and Italian Sausage

Steven is not the biggest fan of zucchinis but once they're stuffed with cheese and Italian sausage, even he can't resist them. I've converted him to a zucchini lover, albeit a meat-and-cheese stuffed zucchini lover. I've heard of stuffing bell peppers but stuffing zucchinis was a novel idea for me, one which I first saw on Elise's Simply Recipes. One of the great things about reading food blogs is seeing all the creative and delicious ideas bloggers come up with; it becomes addicting!

Stuffed Zucchinis with Cheese and Italian Sausage 

Adapted from Elise's Simply Recipes

6 zucchinis

4 Italian sausages

1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp white wine

1/4 tsp ground Italian herb

Optional: fresh basil or other herbs

1 egg

1/2 C grated mozzarella

1/4 C grated Parmesan

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise. Use a spoon and scoop out the insides leaving the zucchinis about 1/4 in thick. Sprinkle the insides of the zucchinis with some salt to draw out excess moisture. Chop the scooped zucchini insides and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brown the sausage and break it up into small pieces. Remove into a mixing bowl and set aside. Add the chopped zucchinis, drained tomatoes, garlic, white wine, dried Italian herb mix, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until all of the moisture has absorbed. Mix in the browned sausage and wait until the filling has cooled. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Drain any moisture that may have come out of the filling before mixing in the cheese and egg. Also drain any moisture that has been drawn out of the zucchinis. Mix the egg and cheeses into the filling and scoop generously into the zucchinis. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the zucchinis have softened.

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Bok Choy

Sometimes when I cook vegetables, I like to keep it simple, just a quick stir fry with a bit of salt. Nothing else, no garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, etc. etc. Just oil and salt. This way it keeps the flavors clean and refreshing. There are so many varieties of bok choy it's sometimes hard to keep them straight. The kind of bok choy I most often use is baby bok choy, the variety with light green instead of white stalks. When it comes to most Chinese vegetables, bigger isn’t always better, the smaller ones are sweeter and more tender. Even in the same plant, I find that the inner leaves are much sweeter and tastier than the outer ones.

There are also many ways to cut bok choy. Some prefer to chop the leaves and separate the greens from the stalks since the leaves cook faster. Others like to cut the entire bok choy in half lengthwise or in quarters and cook it in large segments. What I like to do is take each leaf and slice down lengthwise to get about 1/2 in strips, leaf intact. I think it’s prettier this way and it’s more manageable to eat than a huge quarter segment.

Stir fried Bok Choy
Bok choy (1 head per person)
Salt
1 tsp vegetable oil per 2 bunches bok choy

Wash each leaf to get rid of the dirt, especially in the spoon-like area in the bottom. Slice 2 or 3 times lengthwise down the leaf for strips.

Heat oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the bok choy and salt; cook stirring frequently. Cook until all the leaves are wilted then for another 1 minute and serve.

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Beef and pear tagine recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Beef and pear tagine Recipe. Enjoy Moroccan Food and learn how to make Beef and pear tagine.

Invite your family and friends round for a Moroccan feast and serve them this delicious tagine. They're sure to be impressed!

Ingredients (serves 6)

2/3 cup honey
1 large lemon, juiced
2 firm pears, cores removed, cut into thick wedges
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2kg chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes
2 brown onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
3 to 4 tablespoons Masterfoods Moroccan Spice Blend
20g butter

Method

1. Place 1 1/2 cups cold water, honey, 1/4 cup lemon juice, pears, cinnamon and allspice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until pears are tender. Allow to cool. Drain, reserving liquid. Set pears aside.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook steak, in batches, for 3 minutes or until browned, adding more oil as required. Transfer to a large plate.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, ginger and spice blend. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return steak to pan with 1 1/3 cups reserved pear syrup. Bring to the boil. Transfer tagine to an ovenproof casserole dish. Cover with a lid. Place in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, heat butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add pears. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Remove tagine from oven and stir in pears. Return to oven and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until steak is tender. Serve with pumpkin and chickpea salad and Moroccan bread (see related recipes).

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Easy Moroccan lamb tagine recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Easy Moroccan lamb tagine Recipe. Enjoy Moroccan cooking and learn how to make Easy Moroccan lamb tagine.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1kg lamb leg or lamb rump steak, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces

1 large brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 x 410g cans Ardmona Rich & Thick

Moroccan Style chopped tomatoes with ginger and coriander

600g kent pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm pieces

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

200g green beans, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add one-quarter of the lamb. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and lamb, adding more oil if necessary.

2. Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and pumpkin. Return lamb to pan. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil.

3. Remove from heat. Cover and place in oven. Cook for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Add chickpeas and beans. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle with coriander. Serve.

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Lamb tagine recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Lamb tagine Recipe. Enjoy Moroccan Food and learn how to make quick and easy Lamb tagine. 

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

1.2kg diced lamb

1 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt

1/2 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped

couscous, to serve

Method

1. Combine spices and salt in a large bowl. Add oil, rind and half the juice and stir to form a paste. Add lamb and stir until well-coated in paste. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours if time permits.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Put lamb mixture into a casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid. Add stock and remaining lemon juice. Stir until well-combined.

3. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Stir in dried apricot and raisins. Cook, covered for a further 40 minutes or until lamb is tender. Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt, sprinkling of pistachio kernels and couscous on the side.

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EMBUTIDO RECIPE (FILIPINO STYLE MEATLOAF)

I prepare Embutido (otherwise known as Filipino style meatloaf) in large quantities. It’s the perfect Holiday dish to prepare for unexpected guests. One can easily freeze the embutido, slice it , heat it in the oven and serve. The embutido that I know is wrapped in sinsal (an internal pork entrail) which is ideal for steaming. Mom only prepared embutido on Christmas season. There are so many ingredients which need lots of preparation time but like I told you, once prepared, and cooked it’s perfect to store.

Here is my Embutido recipe.

Ingredients
2 pieces red pepper, minced finely
3 kilos ground lean pork
2 pieces carrot, grated finely
1 cup Chorizo de Bilbao, chopped finely (this is the one that gives the flavor)
6 eggs, beaten
200 grams raisins
300 grams pickle relish
3 onions, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 1/2 Tablespoons fine salt
7 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoon worcestershire saice
3/4 cup cornstarch

Garnishing
3 eggs hardboiled
5 pieces hotdog
4 pieces Vienna sausage

Procedure
1. Combine all the ingredients except the garnishings.

2. Blend thoroughly together. Before rolling , take a small meat portion and fry to make sure the flavors suit your taste.

3. Measure a 1 cup pork mixture. Spread pork mixture into 8″ x 10″ aluminum foil.

4. Make a rectangular well in the center.

4. Arrange slices of hard cooked eggs, Vienna sausage and hotdog. Roll until the ends of the pork mixture covers the eggs and sausages. Continue rolling the pork mixture back and forth until it covers the slices of eggs and sausages in the center.

6. The rolled mixture in the aluminum foil should reach around 1″ to 2″ in diameter.

7. Seal both ends. Repeat with the remaining pork mixture.

8. Steam bake in moderate oven over 350 F for 1 hour or steam for 30 minutes.

Makes 18 rolls

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FILIPINO BREAKFAST

 Beef tapa for breakfast is my all time favorite Filipino breakfast. Served with garlic rice, eggs and coffee is the ultimate breakfast. I often dip my tapa with vinegar before mixing it with my garlic rice. Through the years, I’ve developed my own recipe because it was getting more and more expensive to buy the pre-mixed tapa.

Here is my recipe which I have featured before but made it even tastier.

1 kilo beef sirloin
1 1/2 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon salt (fine salt)
7 Tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoon vinegar

Mix all ingredients.
Let stand for a few hours.
Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours or longer before storing in the freezer.

It’s best to marinate the beef overnight as the flavors seep in more.

Divide the 1 kilo marinated beef into separate plastic bags so you can just cook them per batch.

Now if you can’t wait to cook beef tapa, just hop along to the nearest Jollibee restaurant, Max Restaurant or any restaurant for that matter. Almost every restaurant serves beef tapa as their Filipino breakfast fare.

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