Stuffed Zucchini Peppers Turkish Style Food

MIDDLE EASTERN STUFFED ZUCCHINI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients of rice, ground beef, shredded onion, fresh parsley, dill, diced tomatoes, water, olive oil, allspice, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Mix by hand to combine.
• Now, remove the top of 3 tomatoes and remove the core to hollow out the tomatoes making room for the stuffing. Do this using a corer like this one.
• With a knife, remove the very top of the zucchini, then cut each zucchini in half to make shorter zucchini for stuffing. Now you need to hollow out the zucchini to make room for the stuffing.
• Insert your corer about 3/4 of the way into the zucchini, making sure not to poke the bottoms. Twist the corer and pull out the zucchini cores or hearts. Do this a few times, and gently scrape the sides of the zucchini until you have hollowed each out making room for the stuffing. You'll want to leave about 1/4 inch rim of zucchini.
• Lightly oil the bottom of a large deep cooking pan like this one. Slice the remaining tomato and spread over the bottom of the pan. Now add the onion slices and the cores or hearts of the zucchini. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
• Now, using your hands, gently stuff the hollowed tomatoes with the rice stuffing. Then loosely stuff the zucchini with the rice stuffing about 3/4 of the way (do not over-stuff or crowd the rice stuffing in the zucchini or it will not cook well).
• Arrange the stuffed tomatoes in the center of the cooking pan, then add the stuffed zucchini (stuffed side up) around them. Tilt the zucchini a little, this helps them cook nicely through using less liquid.
• Now add the tomato sauce and water. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Place the pan on the stove and cook on medium-high heat until the liquid starts boiling. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for for 50 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the rice stuffing is fully cooked.
• Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls. Top with the sauce from the cooking pan. Enjoy!

PEPPERS STUFFED WITH RICE, ZUCCHINI AND HERBS

Steps:

• Prepare the peppers. With a sharp paring knife, cut away the tops, then reach in and pull out the membranes and seeds.
• Toss the shredded zucchini with salt and let drain in a colander for 20 minutes. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the garlic, mint, parsley or dill, and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the olive oil and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the peppers. Fill the peppers about 3/4 of the way full with the stuffing, and replace the caps. Place in the oiled baking dish. Mix together the tomato paste and water with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. Season to taste. Add to the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil. Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes to an hour, until the peppers are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, or serve hot. Remove the tops of the peppers and spoon the sauce in the baking dish over the rice before serving.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI & PEPPERS (TURKISH STYLE)

Steps:

• For the filling; Mix diced onions, rice, ground meat, 1 tbsp tomato paste, lemon juice, chopped dill, mint, and half of the chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Wash the zucchinis and cut them into two, then scoop out their pulp with a small spoon and set aside. The walls of zucchinis shouldn't be too thick or too thin (about 1/4 inch). Wash the peppers, cut out the stems, and remove seeds. Sprinkle a pinch of salt inside all of the veggies.
• Stuff the vegetables with the meat mixture, being careful not to overfill since the rice and ground meat will expand as they cook. Place each stuffed vegetable upright in a large pot. Sprinkle the reserved zucchini pulp around pot. Add can of tomatoes.
• Pour broth or water into pot until the vegetables are 50%-75% submerged. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
• Garnish with remaining chopped parsley and serve with yogurt.

TURKEY & ZUCCHINI-STUFFED JACK-O'-LANTERN BELL PEPPERS RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil and cook onions and garlic for 3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the ground turkey to the pan, followed by salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Then add zucchini and diced tomatoes. Cook until zucchini has begun to soften and remove from heat.
• Cut the top off of the bell pepper low enough that the stem remains attached and remove the seeds. Save the top!
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Carefully, carve out your desired jack-o'-lantern face using a steak knife or paring knife. Repeat for the rest of the bell peppers.
• Place carved bell peppers in a baking dish and spoon in a layer of cooked rice in the bottom followed by the turkey mixture, and top with mozzarella cheese. Put the top of the bell pepper back on top.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until peppers are tender and the cheese has melted.
• Enjoy!