Stuffed Zucchini Avgolemono Food

GREEK STUFFED ZUCCHINI (KOLOKITHAKIA YEMISTA AVGOLEMONO)

Steps:

• Cut zucchini into 1/2s or 1/3s, cored on one end (the other end is left intact) and remove filing carefully with corer so that a not-too-thick wall of zucchini remains to contain the filling, keep 1/2 the zucchini flesh removed from the coring, minced (not the shells- but the actual part of the zucchini that was removed, the other half makes a lovely omelette with a bit of parmesan for another meal!).
• You can prepare your zucchini from the previous day and keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator- this actually makes a lot less work on the day of preparation as it's the coring of the zucchini that takes up the most time.
• Mix the meats, onion, garlic, rice, parsley and zucchini in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stuff this mixture into the opening of the one end of each zucchini piece and make sure the filling goes all the way into the vegetable.
• Level opening neatly so that no filling comes out.
• Layer the filled zucchini pieces in a big pot and add enough boiling water to just cover.
• Put in the stock cubes and the butter and cover.
• Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour (knife tip should slip into a piece easily), and take off heat.
• Carefully remove the zucchini pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a reheatable serving dish.
• Strain the cooking liquid left in the pot to remove any pieces of zucchini or grains of rice that may be floating around.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cornstarch and lemon juice (add the juice of 1 lemon at this point).
• Slowly ladle in (literally the thinnest of streams) your hot cooking liquid, whisking the eggs all the while so they don't curdle.
• Keep doing this till nearly all the cooking liquid has been used and then pour your egg mixture and any cooking liquid left back into the pot and heat on a low flame until the sauce has thickened.
• Taste, if it needs more lemon, add up to 1/2 more.
• This is what is called an'Avgolemono Sauce' (Egg-lemon Sauce)- it is delicious.
• When ready to serve, put 2-3 piping hot pieces of the stuffed zucchini on each plate and nap with the sauce.
• Serve with feta cheese on the side (you won't believe how good a nibble of feta tastes with each bite of this!), good, crusty bread (you want to get all the sauce), and wine.

IMPOSSIBLE™ STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cut the ends from the zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Hollow out the zucchini with a small spoon by scraping out the seedy flesh, leaving about 1/2 inch of flesh on the bottom and sides of the zucchini. Discard the scraped-out flesh. Place the zucchini into a 10x15-inch pan.
• Combine meatless ground beef, tomato, bread crumbs, Pecorino-Romano cheese, egg, garlic, parsley, onion, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well using clean or gloved hands.
• Stuff the hollowed-out zucchini with the mixture until all of the mixture has been used. Sprinkle the tops with shredded mozzarella.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and zucchini are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

MACEDONIAN STUFFED CABBAGE WITH THICK AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully remove outer leaves from cabbage, keeping leaves from tearing. Parboil them about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Place sauerkraut in bottom of Dutch oven. Tip: use a large pot and do not fill to the top. Layer a few cabbage leaves over the sauerkraut.
• Thoroughly combine beef, pork, salt, pepper, onions, and rice. Carefully remove heavy center vein from steamed cabbage leaves and cut each leaf in half. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of meat mixture near cut end of leaf; fold over. Fold edges in toward center and roll up tightly. Repeat until you've used up all the meat mixture or the cabbage leaves. Place rolls in casserole with lemon slices between the layers. Cover with an inverted heavy plate to act as a weight. Add enough boiling water to cover rim of plate. Cover casserole, bring slowly to a boil, and simmer gently until liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour.
• After the rolls have cooked, prepare the sauce:.
• Beat eggs until frothy; add lemon juice. Gradually add hot stock, beating constantly. Pour into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
• To serve, place several rolls on each plate and spoon some cooked sauerkraut over them; top with Thick Avgolemono Sauce. Serve immediately.