Baked Zucchini Stuffed with Salami
Zucchine ripiene al forno
Yield: 6 generous portions
Printable Version
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Trim the very ends off of the zucchini. Blanche the whole zucchini in boiling water for 4 minutes. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a pear corer, melon ball knife or small spoon, scoop out the inside of the vegetable, leaving a ¼” thick zucchini wall or “boat” for the filling. Chop up the zucchini pieces that were removed.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the olive oil, chopped zucchini, onion, salami, pine nuts, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until the onions are tender and the pine nuts begin to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the filling from the heat and cool slightly.
Combine the salami mixture with the breadcrumbs and one half cup of the cheese to make a moist stuffing.
Sprinkle the zucchini boats with a little salt and pepper. Spoon about half a cup of the stuffing into each piece of zucchini and place them on a lightly greased baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is brown and the filling is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
While the zucchini is cooking, make the Spicy Tomato Sauce. Serve the sauce alongside the stuffed zucchini.
