We all know and love stuffed marrows and there are some beauties about at the moment, nice big round ones, perfect for stuffing. But recently I came across a recipe for a different way of stuffing marrows called kousa mahshi. Marrows about 17 or 18 centimetres long are hollowed out, filled with a mixture of minced lamb (or beef) and rice, then simmered in a tomato broth.
They are delicious, but the downside is preparing them. The recipe I tried is Lebanese, and they are so popular throughout the Middle East that you can apparently buy a special long thin-bladed knife for removing the pulp from the marrows. However, necessity being the mother of invention, I first used an apple corer, then got most of the pulp out using a grapefruit knife, and if you have time to spare out the fiddly preparation, they really are worth the effort.
There was one leftover, which my other half had for lunch the next day. He said they are just as nice cold. Having dealt with the marrows, I then went on to think about stuffing other things and peppers are an obvious choice. For a starter, I halve them, fill them with tomato wedges and garlic, then bake them.
They are good either hot or cold too. For a more substantial main course, I fill them with minced pork, but for something different, try stuffing them with quinoa, the South American seeds that seem to have really taken off recently. You can buy white, red or black quinoa, or a mixture of all three, and it’s a very good choice for vegetarians as it is high in protein and essential amino acids, and it is also gluten-free.
A fish that I like is pangasio (or pangasia), probably because it’s mild and for me not too ‘fishy’. It’s available on fish counters pretty much everywhere, but my resident fish lover thinks it’s bland. So to please him, I zizzed it up by spreading the fillets with a mixture of tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and basil. I then folded them up, sprinkled them with Parmesan and breadcrumbs and baked them. Much more to his liking!
Stuffed chicken roulades make one of our favourite meals. Cut chicken breasts almost through, open them out and whack them gently to a uniform thickness (or ask your butcher to do it for you), then fill them with cheese and spinach and roll them up.
Cooked in a white wine sauce with just a pinch or two of dried tarragon, it makes a simple feast for us two, and is classy enough for a dinner party.
Chicken roulades
These can be prepared in advance and put in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
(Serves 4)
4 chicken breast halves
100g chopped cooked spinach, squeezed dry
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tbsp crème fraîche or cream
Salt and pepper
4 slices Gruyère or Emmental cheese
20g butter
2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
Pinch dried tarragon
100ml dry white wine
250ml chicken stock
1 tbsp butter mixed with 1 tbsp flour
Remove the fillets from the back of the chicken breasts and save them for another use. Slit the chicken down one side and open it out like a book, then put each piece between two sheets of cling film and whack them gently with a rolling pin to a uniform thickness.
Mix the spinach with the garlic and two tablespoons of the crème fraîche and season it with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of cheese on each breast, then put the spinach down the centre of the cheese, dividing it equally. Flip the top and bottom ends of the chicken up over the stuffing, then roll it up from the sides and secure with a cocktail stick.
Melt the butter in a frying pan with a lid, brown the chicken all over, then transfer to a plate. Stir in the shallots or onion and fry gently until softened. Add the tarragon and wine, return the chicken to the pan, raise the heat and let it bubble until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the stock, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, turning from time to time. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, remove the cocktail sticks and keep warm.
Strain the juices into a small pan, add the rest of the crème fraîche and then, over medium heat, gradually whisk in enough of the butter and flour mixture to thicken the sauce.
Simmer for a few minutes, taste and season as necessary and pour the sauce over the chicken.
Italian fish fillets
I doubt whether there’s an Italian recipe like this, but it has genuine Italian ingredients in it, so that’s what I’m calling it!
(Serves 4)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 plum tomatoes, peeled deseeded and diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chopped black olives
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp shredded basil leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
4 skinless white fish fillets, about 200g each
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and fry the onion gently until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more, then turn them into a bowl. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste, the olives, pine nuts, capers and basil leaves and season with salt and a good grind of pepper.
Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Lay out the fish fillets and divide the tomato mixture between them, spreading it over the middle. Fold the two ends up over the filling, secure with cocktail sticks if necessary, then pack them, seam side down, into a lightly oiled baking dish that just fits them comfortably.
Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan together, brush the rolls generously with olive oil, then sprinkle with the Parmesan crumbs and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is browned and the fish is cooked through.
Stuffed peppers
(Serves 4)
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g minced pork (or 120g quinoa)
400g can chopped tomatoes
Small can sweetcorn, drained
2 tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp paprika
Pinch dried chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
2 red and 2 yellow peppers
4 heaped tbsps grated mature Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the onion until starting to soften. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more. Add the pork, breaking it up with a fork and stirring until it loses its raw colour, then cook for five minutes. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice, and add them to the pork. Stir in the sweetcorn, parsley, paprika and chilli flakes and season well with salt and pepper, then add enough of the reserved tomato juice to moisten the mixture without making it too sloppy.
Cut the peppers in half through the stalks and remove the cores and seeds but leave the stalks intact. Brush the insides of the peppers with olive oil and stand them in a shallow baking dish in one layer. Divide the stuffing between them, pour a little water into the dish to just cover the base, then cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, sprinkle the peppers with the cheese and bake for a further 15 minutes. Scatter over some chopped parsley and serve.
NB: If using quinoa, first rinse and drain it well. Bring 250ml of water to the boil in a small pan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand for five minutes, then fluff it with a fork, turn it into a bowl and add the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
Lebanese kousa mahshi
(Serves 4)
8 zucchini, about 17cm to 18cm long
250g minced lamb or beef
65g uncooked Arborio rice, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsps pine nuts
2 tbsps chopped fresh mint
½ tsp each ground allspice, cinnamon, cumin and coriander
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
500ml passata
2 tbsps tomato paste
Large pinch sugar
Small handful of mint sprigs
Slice off the stems of the zucchini and first using an apple corer then a grapefruit knife or thin bladed sharp knife, hollow out the pulp, leaving the sides about a centimetre thick and being careful not to puncture the shell.
Put the lamb, rice and half the onion into a bowl. Add the pine nuts, mint, and spices, then season well with plenty of salt and ground pepper. Mix it all together (your hands are best for this) until it’s all well blended, then stuff the zucchini, filling them to within about a centimetre of the top to allow for expansion.
In a large deep saucepan, heat the oil and fry the remaining half onion until soft but not coloured. Fry the garlic for a minute more, then add the passata and stir in the tomato paste, a good pinch of sugar and most of the mint sprigs.
Season with salt and ground pepper, then put the zucchini into the pan, laying them on their sides, and pour in enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes until tender.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to warm bowls, pour some of the cooking liquid over each serving and garnish with the rest of the mint sprigs.