Stuffed Vegetables Niçoise
In Nice, everyone loves lu farçum, which means “stuffed things.” The term is applied almost exclusively to baked stuffed vegetables served either hot or cold at the beginning of a meal.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
VEGETABLES:
- 8 small round zucchinis
- 4 small red bell peppers
- 8 medium tomatoes
STUFFING:
- 0.25 cup olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 0.5 pound ground pork
- 0.5 pound ground veal
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 10 fillets anchovy, chopped
- 0.5 cup Parmesan, grated
- 0.25 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables:
- Tomatoes: Cut the top off and reserve the lids. With a spoon, scoop out the flesh and seeds. Reserve for the stuffing.
- Zucchini: If using large zucchini, slice each one in half horizontally and clean out the contents with a spoon, being very careful not to poke a hole through the skin. If zucchinis are small, cut the cap off at ¼ inch under the stamp, spoon out the inside. Roughly chopped the inside and reserve for the stuffing.
- Red bell pepper: Cut in half lengthwise through the stem, clean out the insides thoroughly, wash thoroughly and dry.
Make the stuffing:
- In a non-stick pan on medium heat: sweat the finely chopped shallots, onion, and garlic. Add the ground meats, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and chopped parsley. Stir from time to time and let cook on low heat.
- Add the tomato juice, the slightly chopped meat of the tomatoes, and the chopped inside of the zucchini to the meat and let cook. Taste and rectify the seasoning if needed, and add the Parmesan cheese. The meat will be done when most of the juice has evaporated.
Stuff the vegetables:
- Stuff the vegetables, over-filling them, and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of them. Place on a baking dish or baking sheet.
Bake and serve:
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Bake for about 30 minutes in preheated oven.
- Serve when the tops are cooked and lightly golden brown.
