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"Clean Out da Pantry" Stuffed Zucchini
Vrghr debated on posting this one, as it really isn't a "recipe" per se. It wasn't the sort of planned creation wuffy normally makes. Instead, it started as a vague idea, and then just evolved to make use of what leftovers wuff had in the fridge and pantry.
However, after thinking about it for a bit, this wuffy decided to go ahead and post it up anyway. Perhaps it will serve as inspiration; that cooking needn't be a matter of careful combinations of exotic or expensive ingredients. A creative, exuberant attitude combined with some basic techniques and a willingness to just "let go" and have fun in the kitchen can also come up with some pretty darn good eats!
Because of the 'ad hoc' nature of this dish, wuff is going to be a little less formal in the directions.
This started from the gift of one of those HUGE, Monster-sized zucchini that frequently come from local gardens. This was not one of those little, petite super-market "cucumber-sized" squashes. Nope! This one looked like it could do stand-in duty clubbing away hordes of dungeon dwellers on a quest to find the dragon's horde! *chuckles*
Wuffy figured the best thing to do with a barge-sized zucchini was load it up like a barge, and create a stuffed squash. The basic idea was to create a savory sausage and mushroom mixture, binding and enhancing it with onions, garlic, and cheese. But, as wuff pawed through his fridge and pantry, Vrghr kept seeing a "bit of this" and a "drab of that" leftover from other meals. And those looked like they, too, could go into the stuffing mixture and still create something yummy, while also clearing out space to store wuff's next creation.
Wuffy will try to list everything that went into this dish. But even if Vrghr can remember it all 100%, it's unlikely that this particular combination of leftovers will be available again, so any future attempts will have a different flavor combination.
Here's how this all went together!
Directions:
Open a package each of dried Oyster and dried Porcini mushrooms. Put in a microwave safe bowl, and fill it with ~1 C of water and ~1/2 C Marsala wine. Cover loosely and microwave on high for ~ 2 minutes to get the water near-boiling. Remove and let rest to rehydrate the mushrooms while making the rest.
Slice the zucchini in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon or melon baller, and drizzle a wee bit of olive oil into the interior. Rub that all around to coat it completely on the inside, then sprinkle some Omnivore Salt and ground black pepper over it. A bit of garlic powder would be nice too, but wuff didn't think of it at the time.
Place the zucchini cut-side up on a couple paper towels in the microwave, and heat at 70% power for about 6 minutes, to tenderize them slightly.
While the squash are heating, fry up 3/4 lb of leftover ground sausage in a large skillet until no pink bits remain. Mash and chop it up while frying to get lots of little ground up bits instead of big chunks.
Mix in 1 Tbs of minced garlic, 1-2 Tbs dried onion flakes, and 1-2 Tbs leftover tomato paste, mashing the paste into the ground sausage until everything is completely combined and the garlic is becoming fragrant.
Deglaze with 1/3 C of Marsala wine and cook until nearly all has evaporated.
Add 1 8 oz tin and 1 4 oz tin of "stems and pieces" mushrooms, with the juice, plus re-hydrated Oyster and Porcini mushrooms and their juices too. Cook until the juice is reduced by about 1/2 volume.
Add 2 C leftover brown rice flavored with Garam Marsala and curry powder, 3/4 Pint of leftover white rice, 2 Cups leftover sweet corn kernels, the last 6 oz of cream cheese in the block, and the remaining Cup of grated Italian Mixed Cheese in the package. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp crushed Rosemary, 1 tsp dried Tarragon, and 1 tsp dried Oregano. Stir together until the cheeses melt and completely combine with the rest.
Add a 12oz tin of petite diced Italian Seasoned tomatoes and stir together.
Thin as necessary with a bit of chicken stock. Taste, and season with more Omnivore Salt and ground Black Pepper.
If desired, heat things up now with a splash of your favorite hot sauce (optional).
Remove the zucchini from the microwave and place in a casserole dish. Drizzle a wee bit more olive oil inside. Stuff as much of the stuffing mixture as will fit into the zucchini shells, pressing it in firmly.
Pour ~1/2 C chicken stock into the bottom of the casserole dish, and cover it tightly with tinfoil.
Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove tinfoil top. Generously sprinkle more grated cheese over the top, then layer slices of leftover Provolone on top of that.
Return to the oven, uncovered, and continue to bake for about 12-15 minutes more, until the cheese is nicely melted and starting to brown.
Remove, slice, serve and DEVOUR!
Despite the seriously "impromptu" nature of this dish, it REALLY came out tasting great! And it was very filling, too!
Remember, cooking should be fun! Experiment and enjoy your time in the kitchen!
Bon Appetite!
However, after thinking about it for a bit, this wuffy decided to go ahead and post it up anyway. Perhaps it will serve as inspiration; that cooking needn't be a matter of careful combinations of exotic or expensive ingredients. A creative, exuberant attitude combined with some basic techniques and a willingness to just "let go" and have fun in the kitchen can also come up with some pretty darn good eats!
Because of the 'ad hoc' nature of this dish, wuff is going to be a little less formal in the directions.
This started from the gift of one of those HUGE, Monster-sized zucchini that frequently come from local gardens. This was not one of those little, petite super-market "cucumber-sized" squashes. Nope! This one looked like it could do stand-in duty clubbing away hordes of dungeon dwellers on a quest to find the dragon's horde! *chuckles*
Wuffy figured the best thing to do with a barge-sized zucchini was load it up like a barge, and create a stuffed squash. The basic idea was to create a savory sausage and mushroom mixture, binding and enhancing it with onions, garlic, and cheese. But, as wuff pawed through his fridge and pantry, Vrghr kept seeing a "bit of this" and a "drab of that" leftover from other meals. And those looked like they, too, could go into the stuffing mixture and still create something yummy, while also clearing out space to store wuff's next creation.
Wuffy will try to list everything that went into this dish. But even if Vrghr can remember it all 100%, it's unlikely that this particular combination of leftovers will be available again, so any future attempts will have a different flavor combination.
Here's how this all went together!
Directions:
Open a package each of dried Oyster and dried Porcini mushrooms. Put in a microwave safe bowl, and fill it with ~1 C of water and ~1/2 C Marsala wine. Cover loosely and microwave on high for ~ 2 minutes to get the water near-boiling. Remove and let rest to rehydrate the mushrooms while making the rest.
Slice the zucchini in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon or melon baller, and drizzle a wee bit of olive oil into the interior. Rub that all around to coat it completely on the inside, then sprinkle some Omnivore Salt and ground black pepper over it. A bit of garlic powder would be nice too, but wuff didn't think of it at the time.
Place the zucchini cut-side up on a couple paper towels in the microwave, and heat at 70% power for about 6 minutes, to tenderize them slightly.
While the squash are heating, fry up 3/4 lb of leftover ground sausage in a large skillet until no pink bits remain. Mash and chop it up while frying to get lots of little ground up bits instead of big chunks.
Mix in 1 Tbs of minced garlic, 1-2 Tbs dried onion flakes, and 1-2 Tbs leftover tomato paste, mashing the paste into the ground sausage until everything is completely combined and the garlic is becoming fragrant.
Deglaze with 1/3 C of Marsala wine and cook until nearly all has evaporated.
Add 1 8 oz tin and 1 4 oz tin of "stems and pieces" mushrooms, with the juice, plus re-hydrated Oyster and Porcini mushrooms and their juices too. Cook until the juice is reduced by about 1/2 volume.
Add 2 C leftover brown rice flavored with Garam Marsala and curry powder, 3/4 Pint of leftover white rice, 2 Cups leftover sweet corn kernels, the last 6 oz of cream cheese in the block, and the remaining Cup of grated Italian Mixed Cheese in the package. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp crushed Rosemary, 1 tsp dried Tarragon, and 1 tsp dried Oregano. Stir together until the cheeses melt and completely combine with the rest.
Add a 12oz tin of petite diced Italian Seasoned tomatoes and stir together.
Thin as necessary with a bit of chicken stock. Taste, and season with more Omnivore Salt and ground Black Pepper.
If desired, heat things up now with a splash of your favorite hot sauce (optional).
Remove the zucchini from the microwave and place in a casserole dish. Drizzle a wee bit more olive oil inside. Stuff as much of the stuffing mixture as will fit into the zucchini shells, pressing it in firmly.
Pour ~1/2 C chicken stock into the bottom of the casserole dish, and cover it tightly with tinfoil.
Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove tinfoil top. Generously sprinkle more grated cheese over the top, then layer slices of leftover Provolone on top of that.
Return to the oven, uncovered, and continue to bake for about 12-15 minutes more, until the cheese is nicely melted and starting to brown.
Remove, slice, serve and DEVOUR!
Despite the seriously "impromptu" nature of this dish, it REALLY came out tasting great! And it was very filling, too!
Remember, cooking should be fun! Experiment and enjoy your time in the kitchen!
Bon Appetite!
Category Resources / Tutorials
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1684 x 1582px
File Size 7.24 MB
*grins* Thank you! Glad this is so appealing! It certainly tasted good too!
Too bad wuff can never cook it again! Chances of having exactly that combination of leftovers again is pretty slim! But, there'll be other variations, and Vrghr's sure those will be YUM too!
Too bad wuff can never cook it again! Chances of having exactly that combination of leftovers again is pretty slim! But, there'll be other variations, and Vrghr's sure those will be YUM too!
*laughs* Ain't this wuff a stinker?
Actually, this WOULD work on a stove top! Just cube and then sauté the squash in olive oil or butter for a few minutes until it is tender, and remove it to a bowl. Then make all the stuffin's part. And finally, mix the zucchini cubes back in! Sprinkle with lots of grated cheese just before serving, and it'll all melt over the top (even if it doesn't brown and bubble). Bet this would still be darn tasty in that fashion as well! *grins*
Actually, this WOULD work on a stove top! Just cube and then sauté the squash in olive oil or butter for a few minutes until it is tender, and remove it to a bowl. Then make all the stuffin's part. And finally, mix the zucchini cubes back in! Sprinkle with lots of grated cheese just before serving, and it'll all melt over the top (even if it doesn't brown and bubble). Bet this would still be darn tasty in that fashion as well! *grins*
Thank you so kindly! *HUGS*
You also need a rather courageous willingness to risk mixing and combining things you might not normally consider. A sort of "Damn the tomatoes, full speed ahead!". *grins* Wuffy picked that one up from his papa-wolf.
Dad used to have one of those hand-cranked meat grinders. About once a month, he'd fling the refrigerator open and start pulling out whatever was left in there. Beef, broccoli, taters, rice, carrots, tomatoes, pasta, stuffing, the last slices of bread or biscuits - it didn't matter. It all went into the grinder, and from there into his massive casserole dish. He worked with a joyful, reckless, courageous abandon, and it was worth your paw not to get close to him, or you might end up contributing digits to the grinder. *giggles*
It was always with a bit of uneasy trepidation that we'd set down to the table on "Dad's Casserole" nights. *grins* But, surprisingly, 9 times out of 10 he'd have created something really good! Tasty, definitely filling, and cheap enough to feed our whole (big) family for a couple days.
Oh, there were a few notable failures. When even dad would say, "Well, that one didn't quite work, did it?" Then we'd end up with beans and weenies or something similar as alternates. But most of them were edible, and many of them were delicious, if somewhat surprising!
It was always exotic, and sadly, we were never able to have the really good ones again.
You also need a rather courageous willingness to risk mixing and combining things you might not normally consider. A sort of "Damn the tomatoes, full speed ahead!". *grins* Wuffy picked that one up from his papa-wolf.
Dad used to have one of those hand-cranked meat grinders. About once a month, he'd fling the refrigerator open and start pulling out whatever was left in there. Beef, broccoli, taters, rice, carrots, tomatoes, pasta, stuffing, the last slices of bread or biscuits - it didn't matter. It all went into the grinder, and from there into his massive casserole dish. He worked with a joyful, reckless, courageous abandon, and it was worth your paw not to get close to him, or you might end up contributing digits to the grinder. *giggles*
It was always with a bit of uneasy trepidation that we'd set down to the table on "Dad's Casserole" nights. *grins* But, surprisingly, 9 times out of 10 he'd have created something really good! Tasty, definitely filling, and cheap enough to feed our whole (big) family for a couple days.
Oh, there were a few notable failures. When even dad would say, "Well, that one didn't quite work, did it?" Then we'd end up with beans and weenies or something similar as alternates. But most of them were edible, and many of them were delicious, if somewhat surprising!
It was always exotic, and sadly, we were never able to have the really good ones again.
squee
gotta love the mystry pot night and check all the pets are still with us. My mother was great at the mystrey pot.
Come to think of it I do stuff like that quite often, I'm lazy and use a blender but I do own one of those hand cranked so heavy you kill a zombie with one blow mincers. I kinda have a feeling I have a few of them hiding around the house. I like those nights, sometimes they become curry casserols or satay (curry is great for hiding almost all sins), someties they are a casserole one night, a pie the next or even a potato/cheese top the next. I can think of one failure over the many I have made.
Even last night we had a quick one pot wonder. ButterRoo with noodles. Use a jar of butter chicken sauce but cook up minced roo meat, mixed veg, the butter chicken sauce and a little water so it didn't stick and near the end add two packs of instant noodle plus the flavour sachet. It was very delicious.
It is sad when you can't repeat a method but it is also something to inspire one to keep trying and then you look back and see the gift your parent, friend, partner etc left with you. Lets face it smell and taste are some of the strongest senses that trigger memories.
*hugs*
gotta love the mystry pot night and check all the pets are still with us. My mother was great at the mystrey pot.
Come to think of it I do stuff like that quite often, I'm lazy and use a blender but I do own one of those hand cranked so heavy you kill a zombie with one blow mincers. I kinda have a feeling I have a few of them hiding around the house. I like those nights, sometimes they become curry casserols or satay (curry is great for hiding almost all sins), someties they are a casserole one night, a pie the next or even a potato/cheese top the next. I can think of one failure over the many I have made.
Even last night we had a quick one pot wonder. ButterRoo with noodles. Use a jar of butter chicken sauce but cook up minced roo meat, mixed veg, the butter chicken sauce and a little water so it didn't stick and near the end add two packs of instant noodle plus the flavour sachet. It was very delicious.
It is sad when you can't repeat a method but it is also something to inspire one to keep trying and then you look back and see the gift your parent, friend, partner etc left with you. Lets face it smell and taste are some of the strongest senses that trigger memories.
*hugs*
Hehe, that's pretty impressive to be recognizing the cook from the pictures alone! *grins*
Thank you! You're very kind! Give it a try, wuff's sure you'll enjoy it!
Vrghr just had part of the other half of this for lunch, and the rest in the fridge along with a re-heat courtesy of the microwave seems to even have improved it! The stuffy flavors seemed even more pronounced and melded with the squash! Yum!
That stuffing is pretty darn tasty all by itself, too. Had a little bowl (not all would fit in the squash, even one that large) with a slice of cheese melted on top, and gosh it was yummy!
Thank you! You're very kind! Give it a try, wuff's sure you'll enjoy it!
Vrghr just had part of the other half of this for lunch, and the rest in the fridge along with a re-heat courtesy of the microwave seems to even have improved it! The stuffy flavors seemed even more pronounced and melded with the squash! Yum!
That stuffing is pretty darn tasty all by itself, too. Had a little bowl (not all would fit in the squash, even one that large) with a slice of cheese melted on top, and gosh it was yummy!
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