Stuffed zucchini

Etli kabak dolmasi

By: Sevtap Yüce
From: Turkish Meze
Serves: 4
Photographer: Alicia Taylor

I told you — Turks like stuffing everything, and here is just one example. If you wish, you can make this dish vegetarian by using more rice. I won’t take any offence. Perhaps you think zucchini are boring old vegetables, but they are delicious this way.

When cooking the rice for the lamb stuffing, ensure it is still firm to the bite, as it will continue cooking in the stuffing. If you have any leftover stuffing, roll it into small balls and fry them until just cooked through.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
3	zucchini
2	tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons	olive oil
90g	tomato paste
80g	butter, cut into small cubes
	Garlic yoghurt, to serve
	fresh herbs, such as mint, dill and parsley, to garnish

Lamb stuffing

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	minced lamb
1	large onion, diced
15g	chopped parsley
30g	chopped dill
2 tablespoons	dried mint
3	tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons	tomato paste
185g	cooked long-grain white rice, still al-dente, not fluffy or tender

Method

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together in a large bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Slice each zucchini into rounds about 5 cm thick. Using a small teaspoon, scoop out some of the inside flesh, without breaking the outer ring, and leaving enough on the bottom to hold the stuffing. Finely chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh and mix it through the lamb stuffing. Sprinkle sea salt inside each round of zucchini, then stuff each one firmly with the lamb mixture.
Pack the zucchini rounds in a saucepan large enough to hold them all in a single layer. Place a tomato slice on top of each round; you may need to cut the tomato slices into thirds or quarters if they are too big.
Mix together the olive oil, tomato paste and 250 ml water, then pour over the dolmas. Dot each one with butter.
Cover the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10–15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the lamb stuffing is cooked.
Serve hot or at room temperature, drizzled with garlic yoghurt, and garnished with herbs.