Get Delicious Stuffed Vegetables All Year Round With This Over-the-Counter Recipe
Nothing is more important to my development as a home cook – and as someone who eats the vegetables she buys instead of letting them grind in the refrigerator – than learning how to cook without recipes. When I learned by heart a few familiar methods, “quick supper” began to mean kitchen improvisation, and not the order “Seamless”.
I’m 100% adding this Food52 Stuffed Vegetable Roadmap to the rotation. I love its adaptability and the fact that it can be used to make a full meal – I fry delicious vegetables too often and then panic and just toss a piece of tofu on top.
Here’s the gist:
- Cut the crockery vegetables in half and scoop out the insides to make the boats. (If using winter squash, rinse the seeds for baking; if using softer vegetables, chop the insides to add them to the filling.)
- Fry the pots at 375 ° F, drizzle with olive oil and salt, until tender. For soft vegetables it will take 10-15 minutes, for hard ones, for example, for winter squash, up to 45.
- While the vessels are boiling (and then cooled), fry the filling. Food52 formula: “starch + onion + cheese + nut + dried fruit + greens + greens”. Use some or all of the above. You can also add protein such as ground beef or lentils. Yes, you have to keep track of the quantity, but the unused filling will taste great on its own. (I would use starch to get just the right amount of fudge.)
- Once it’s done, fill the vegetable boats and put them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until they’re warm and lightly browned.
You can even prepare the jars and fill them three days ahead of schedule – just refrigerate and then bake a little more in the oven to warm up.
Food52 offers the following ideas to get you started:
- Poblano pepper with black beans, brown rice, chorizo and queso fresco topped with lime foam
- Sweet Vidalia onion with farro, anchovies, cabbage and caramelized onions, seasoned with quick tomato sauce
- Zucchini or summer squash with quinoa, parmesan, basil and bread crumbs
- Portobello mushrooms with pearl barley and risotto with lemon or root vegetables
- Eggplant with Bulgarian minced meat, lamb, tomatoes and lots of spices