Stuffed Zucchini with Meat in Lemon Dill Sauce

How to prepare stuffed zucchini with meat in lemon dill sauce

1. To hollow out the zucchini I used 3 tools: an apple corer, a vegetable peeling knife, and a vegetable peeler (see photo 1).
2. Cut the zucchini in half widthwise. Insert the apple corer into the center of each piece. Twist a few times to loosen the core properly. Remove the corer. Sometimes the core will come out with the tool, other times it stays stuck inside. To clean out what remains inside, use the vegetable peeling knife - it has a slightly curved blade and is perfect for this task. First remove the core loosened by the apple corer, if it didn't come out the first time. Then using the same knife, scrape the inside (walls) of the zucchini until all the soft flesh is removed.
3. After hollowing out all the zucchini, peel them using the vegetable peeler.
4. For the filling, finely chop the onion and grate the carrot. Sauté them in hot oil until very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the crushed tomato along with its juice and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir well to toast it slightly (about 3 minutes). Add the finely chopped herbs.
5. Pour the sautéed vegetables with rice over the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup cold water and knead everything well (by hand works best).
6. Fill the zucchini with this mixture. Arrange the stuffed zucchini in a single layer in an oven-safe pan or pot.
8. Add the stock to the pan and sprinkle salt over the zucchini. Bring the contents to a boil. Cover with a lid (or aluminum foil). Bake at 180°C for approximately 50-55 minutes. Check the filling - the rice should be cooked through after this time.
9. Remove the zucchini to a serving platter and cover to keep warm.
10. Measure 400 ml of the remaining cooking liquid in a measuring cup.
11. In a pot, whisk the eggs and yolks with the flour and lemon juice using a whisk until no lumps remain. Gradually add the hot measured stock while continuing to whisk the mixture. After adding all the stock, place the pot over very low heat and warm the mixture while continuously stirring with the whisk. Stop when the sauce has thickened - it should look like custard sauce, meaning it coats the back of a spoon and if you run your finger across it on the spoon, a clean line remains (see photo 8; takes about 5 minutes). Never let the sauce boil or it will curdle.
12. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the dill, seasoning the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste.
14. Pour the sauce over the zucchini. Serve immediately.
    * my photos show 1/2 portion

Print