Surprise Your Thanksgiving Guests With Personal Zucchini Minced Meat
If I have one criticism of turkey with a bang , it is that it cannot be stuffed. I don’t even really like the minced meat that is cooked in turkey, but it seems to me wrong to call it “stuffing” when you are not actually doing that. But there are other stuff to stuff, and my favorite (adorable!) Mini Squash.
Cooking minced meat in a small, small squash is a fantastic approach for several reasons: it keeps the filling moist while cooking, it looks pretty darn cute, and you can eat the squash. Also works with any filling and any pumpkin (even large). The exact cooking time depends on which pumpkin you use and how big it is, but in general the song and dance goes something like this:
- Make your zucchini soft. If the pumpkin can be held upside down without tipping over, simply cut 3/4 inch or so from the top. If he likes to lie on his side, cut him in half. Scoop out all seeds and stringy pieces.
- Soften the courgettes. Season the courgettes with salt and pepper on the inside, then place them, cut side down, in a baking dish with about half an inch of water. Fry them at 375 ℉ until they are easily pierced with a paring knife. (This will vary from pumpkin to pumpkin; the sugar dumplings in the photo above were ready in 25 minutes; the acorn took 45).
- Stuff the courgettes. Scoop the filling into the pumpkin holes using a spoon to fill in the gaps. Return the squash to the oven until the minced meat is warm (about 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the squash). For a crispy crust, sprinkle with Parmesan (or other cheese) and place under the broiler for five minutes or so.
A pound of filling will fill lots of mini pumpkins (like 16), but you can serve the uncrushed filling in a skillet along with the courgettes. If people threaten to riot by claiming that they can now only eat the filling from an edible autumn jar, just let them fill from a larger saucepan. (If that doesn’t calm them down, try pouring the wine into the glass again and distracting them with pie and dog show.)