Stuffed Vegetables

               Stuffed vegetables are typical of Greek "Poor Cuisine”.  Vegetables, stuffed ingeniously with many ingredients in order to stretch and feed large families, can be both satisfying and delicious.  I’m giving you one recipe for a traditional dish and three more for contemporary ones.

COURGETTES STUFFED WITH MINCED MEAT

          This is a traditional Greek dish that most enjoy.     

                                             

12 large,plump courgettes, lightly scraped, ends trimmed

Stuffing:

500 g (1 lb) minced beef or veal

2 large onions, grated and sauteed in:

A little olive oil and 2 tbsp water

2 thick slices of bread, crust removed, soaked in wine or water and squeezed out

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp dill, finely chopped

½  tbsp mint, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

750 ml (3 cups) or more stock or slightly salted water

Avgolemono sauce:

30 g (2 tbsp) butter
1 bay leaf

1-2 tbsp flour
Hot cooking liquid

The juice of 1 lemon or according to taste
The zest of 1/2 a lemon

2 eggs, well beaten

Salt and white pepper to taste

2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped.

            Hollow the courgettes with a potato peeler and add very little salt in each.    Prepare the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients together.  Add a little of the chopped courgette and a little warm water to make the mixture softer and stuff the vegetables.

  

           Arrange them in a large, flat saucepan, in 2 layers or standing up, if not too long.   Pour the water or stock over and cover with baking parchment and the saucepan lid, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until tender.  Transfer the courgettes to a serving dish and keep hot.   Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and reserve.

          Meanwhile make the avgolemono sauce. Melt the butter, add the bay leaf and  flour and stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the reserved cooking liquid and whisk for 5-7 minutes until sauce boils and thickens.  Remove the saucepan from the fire and quickly whisk in the egg and the lemon juice and zest.  Return to the fire but don’t let the sauce boil.   Discard the bay leaf, taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper, if necessary. Pour over the hot courgettes and serve immediately sprinkled with parsley.

                            

  

STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES

                                

                                               

          Blanch a cabbage for 5 minutes, drain and pour cold water over.   Separate the leaves and cut out the coarse stems.

         
          Prepare the same stuffing as for “Courgettes Stuffed with Minced Meat” (see above) without the chopped courgetttes.

          Fill each leaf or part of a leaf with a tbsp of stuffing and roll into small packets.  Arrange the cabbage rolls, in a large, flat saucepan, side by side, in two layers.  Add 1 tbsp of butter and press down with a large plate.   Add 750 ml (3 cups) stock or water and 1 tsp salt.  Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 1 hour.  Remove the cabbage packets and arrange them in a serving dish and keep hot.

         Prepare the avgolemono sauce as for “Courgettes Stuffed with Minced Meat ” (see above).  Pour it over the vegetables and serve steaming hot, with fried potatoes.

           Some cooks place sticks of kefalotyri or pecorino cheese in between the packets.   Try it, if you wish, but put less salt in avgolemono sauce.

                           

  STUFFED COURGETTES HALVES

                                  

This is a clever way to make children eat vegetables.

1 kg (2 lbs) plump and medium-sized courgettes, parboiled and cut in half

                                                                                                  lengthwise

Stuffing:

1 tbsp butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp olive oil

4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp dill, finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

½ tbsp mint, finely chopped

90 g (3 oz)) kephalotyri or Parmesan, grated

3 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups béchamel sauce

Extra grated cheese for sprinkling over

Pieces of butter

              With a teaspoon, remove some of the flesh from the courgettes halves in order to stuff them.   Reserve the removed flesh.

           

             Sauté the onions and the reserved courgette flesh, in the butter and olive oil and then mix them, thoroughly, with all the other ingredients, except the béchamel.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

              Fill the courgette halves with the mixture.    Place them in a buttered ovenproof dish and cover each courgette half with béchamel sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese, dot with butter and bake in hot oven 200 C (400F) until browned.

TOMATOES AND PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CRACKED WHEAT

                                                                       

          Cracked wheat is used in Eastern Mediterranean cooking for the last 4000 years.   A well-known Greek manufacturer, who produces cracked wheat, mentions that it has a high nutritional value, as it contains proteins, vitamins and vegetable fibres.  Cracked wheat is sometimes used in Greek cooking instead of rice.

6 medium tomatoes, ripe but firm

2 medium-sized yellow peppers

2 medium-sized orange peppers

2 medium-sized green peppers

1 medium aubergine, peeled, cubed and sautéed

12-14 tbsp cracked wheat, soaked and strained

2 large onions, finely chopped, sauteed in a little olive oil and water

3-4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

½ - 1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

Cayenne pepper

Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Water or vegetable stock

        Slice the stem part off each pepper, and reserve.   Discard the seeds and add a pinch of salt in each pepper cup.  Proceed in the same way with the tomatoes, remove and reserve the pulp of the tomatoes and set aside, and sprinkle the tomatoes shells with salt, pepper and sugar.

          In a large bowl cube the tomato flesh and add the onion, aubergine,  cracked wheat, herbs, 2 tbsp olive oil, Cayenne, salt, pepper and sugar   Mix everything very well together and stuff the peppers and tomatoes with the mixture.  

          Arrange the stuffed vegetables in a shallow, ovenproof casserole, add 2 cups water or vegetable stock and the remaining olive oil and cover with baking parchment and the lid.  Simmer gently until the cracked wheat is almost cooked.   

          Remove the lid and the baking parchment and bake in a moderately hot oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly brown.

  

AUBERGINES STUFFED WITH VEGETABLES AND CHEESE

 This is a tasty, colourful dish, best made in summer when vegetables are plentiful.

4 aubergines, the long variety, cut in half lengthwise, the flesh scored in a                       

                                                                                                   diamond  pattern

2-3 tbsp olive oil

10 medium-sized onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

8 tbsp aubergine cubes, removed from the centre of each aubergine half

2 yellow peppers cut in julienne strips

2 red peppers cut in julienne strips

1½ tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cubed

1½ tbsp sugar

A little salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper 

¾ cup feta cubed

½ cup parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp basil, chopped

Topping:
1 cup grated kefalotyri or pekorino

1 cup dried bread crumbs

(mix well together)

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

Small pieces of butter

           Sprinkle the aubergine halves with salt and set aside to eliminate any bitter taste.  Rinse, pat dry and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until soft.  Remove 1 tbsp cubed aubergine from the centre of each half and reserve for the stuffing.

           Saute the onion in olive oil and a little water (about 3 tbsp), over low heat until soft.    Add the garlic, the red and yellow peppers and cook and stir for 6 minutes.  Add the cubed aubergine, the tomato, sugar, salt and pepper and Cayenne pepper and simmer covered for 10-12 minutes more.  Remove from the fire and stir in the feta, the chopped parsley and basil, and more salt and pepper, if necessary.

          Fill the aubergine halves with the stuffing, sprinkle evenly with the topping and grated Parmesan and dot with butter.  Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is crisp and golden.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH CHEESE AND HERBS

        

  

                       

          I intended preparing this dish according June Marinos’ recipe “Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes”, included in her wonderful book:  A TASTE OF THE CYCLADES.  I didn’t have all the ingredients required, so I used bits and pieces of leftover cheese that I found in the fridge, Mediterranean herbs, from the garden and the tomatoes were a great success.   June, thank you for the inspiration!

6 ripe but firm tomatoes, flesh scooped out, chopped and reserved

Stuffing:

1 large onion, grated and sautéed in

1 tbsp olive oil and a little water

The reserved tomato flesh

90 g (3 oz) hard cheeses like kefalotyri or Pecorino, grated

90 g (3 oz) Emmenthal, Cheddar and Kasseri

60 g (2 oz) Anthotyro, a bland white cheese

2 eggs

4-6 tbsp dried bread crumbs

Freshly ground black pepper

A little salt

1/8 tsp Cayenne

½ bunch parsley, chopped

½ cup chopped basil, leaves only

6-8 chopped mint, leaves only

Topping:

3 tbsp dried bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

A knob of butter, cut in small pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

3 potatoes, peeled and cut in eights, optional

Salt and pepper for the potatoes

                Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, then add the

reserved tomato flesh and cook until quite dry.  Place in a bowl and add the cheeses and eggs and stir until completely combined.  Add the dried bread crumbs, the spices and finally the herbs.  Taste and add a little salt, if necessary.

               Sprinkle the interior of the tomato shells with salt and a little sugar, and stuff them evenly.  Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle the stuffing with grated Parmesan and bread crumbs and dot with tiny pieces of cold butter.  Add the potatoes, if using, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle a little hot water around the tomatoes  and bake  in a moderate oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.