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Stuffed zucchini with pasta

zucchini stuffed with pork and mushrooms

For me, inspiration often comes from the book I’m currently reading. Last week when I made this dish I was reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love…specifically I was on the “eat” section and since she was in Rome and eating pasta I too wanted to eat pasta. Which was fortunate because I had just purchased a pasta machine.

Actually it was my second machine in a week. The first machine was purchase at The Kitchen Store located on Williamson Street, next to Lazy Jane’s. It’s a relatively new store and I do love to shop local so I bought a few needed items and a pasta machine. But when I got it home and opened it up it was obviously very poorly made. I boxed it back up and took it back to Roz, the proprietor of the store and she promptly gave me a refund. The one thing that I bought at the store that I truly, truly love is a garlic mincing gadget called the Garlic Twist. I’m really not much for gadgets, I’ve had the same Zyliss garlic press for 20 years and I rarely use it. But this gadget is attractive, easy to use, and more importantly…easy to clean. It’s perfect for those times when you simply need one clove of garlic minced.

But I’d pondered a life with a pasta machine so I couldn’t tolerate a life without one…and I hadn’t even used it yet. But those brief dreams of fresh fettuccine, ravioli, and lasagna just couldn’t be shaken from my mind. That’s when I got the brilliant idea to check ebay for a pasta machine. Some quick research showed me that Atlas or Imperia were the brands to trust and ebay had a bunch of them for sale. I found mine for $35 with shipping and it arrived on my doorstep in 2 days…wow! My other awesome and recent ebay purchase was prompted by my butter fingers dropping a #36 Le Creuset gratin pan and narrowly missing my left foot. Damn those things are heavy! You wouldn’t expect it to hit a wooden floor and crack into several pieces…but that is exactly what happened. I almost cried…I bought that pan 14 years ago at the Salvation Army store in Antioch, Ca. It cost me $5.00…best deal, ever! But to replace it now would cost a staggering $119 for a new one….but never fear, I found one on ebay for $25 and it was in my hot little hands 5 days later. I love the internets…yes I do!

zucchini stuffed with pork and mushrooms

Okay so now back to the original topic…zucchini gratin and pasta. With 2 jumbo zucchinis to stuff I found my inspiration in Gilbert’s tales of dining in Rome….what would a Roman stuff a zucchini with? I came up with some ground pork, mushrooms, onion, garlic, 2 roma tomatoes diced, sage, thyme, and a bit of cream. I hollowed out the zuchs, filled them with this mixture, topped them with Parmesan and baked them at 350F for about 30 minutes…them were absolutely perfect. The stuffing was savory and rich and the zucchini was light and zesty…a perfect match.

Served along side these splendid zuchs was a tangle of perfect, al dente fettuccine tossed with olive oil, one mined garlic clove (see…I used the garlic twist), and pepper. Topped with a feathery beard of Parmesan this was the best pasta I’ve ever ate. It was fun to make it myself, so easy to roll it out with the pasta machine…and so satisfying to see and feel it being produced.

Go out here and stuff those zucchinis, make that pasta, feel good about life…enjoy some irrational exuberance!

August 20, 2007 | Filed Under Local, Wisconsin, beef, fish, poultry, pork, favorite products, food, gratins, stews, and stir-frys, pasta, pizza, noodles, quick and easy, recipe, vermont Valley CSA 

comments

9 Responses to “Stuffed zucchini with pasta”

  1. christine on August 20th, 2007

    That just looks phenomenal.

  2. Andy on August 20th, 2007

    stuffed zucchini, one of my faves! I learned how to make these from my mother-in-law (not that they are difficult!).

    The funny thing is no one else around here knows what I’m talking about when I mention them!

  3. Andy on August 20th, 2007

    oh and another thing, now that I know the Kitchen Store is open, I have to go down there!

  4. amanda on August 20th, 2007

    the loose sausage-esque tomatoy porked stuffed zucchini sounds killer! and as always the photos had me drooling from the get go. mmm i just love stuffed things!

  5. Valli on August 20th, 2007

    I wish I had a pasta machine. Oh well..in my dreams for now….(still on my Christmas list guys). The stuffed zucchini would be awesome with the mingling of all those robust flavours. Perfect marriage of the two.

  6. marye on August 22nd, 2007

    looks delish..are you going ot do Presto Pasta Night with it?

  7. MadLisa on August 25th, 2007

    Hi Vanessa,
    more yummy food. As the daughter of a Roman, I have spent a good part of my life in that amazing city. I ate stuffed zucchini every summer. My grandmother’s “recipes” have no measurements, but I found the exact same kind of recipe in Julia della Croce’s book “Roma”. It’s in her “appetizer” chapter, tho’ we always ate it as a second course. Should I scan and email it to you?

  8. vanessa on August 25th, 2007

    Hi Lisa, yes please do and thanks!

  9. MadLisa on August 25th, 2007

    Hi again,

    I will get that to you ASAP, kind of crazy today.

    L.

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