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Colombian-Style Zucchini Rellenos

Colombian-Style Zucchini Rellenos

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Yield: 2 servings
Adapted from: https://www.skinnytaste.com/colombian-style-zucchini-rellenos/

These Stuffed Zucchinis, which are low-carb, Whole30, Keto, gluten-free, dairy-free and Paleo, are inspired from the Colombian dish, Pepino Rellenos.

  • 2medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
  • 4oz 90% lean ground beef
  • kosher salt
  • ¼tsp cumin
  • 1½garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓cup onion, diced
  • 1cup plum tomatoes, chopped fine
  • 1tsp olive oil
  • black pepper, to taste
  • ¼cup low sodium chicken broth

Using a small spoon scoop out and discard the seeds from the zucchini. Then use a spoon or melon baller, hollow out the center of the zucchini halves, leaving ¼-inch thick shell on each half.

Chop the scooped-out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside ⅓ of a cup to use in the meat filling, saving the rest to use in another recipe.

Drop the zucchini in boiling water for 1 minute, remove and drain.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp cumin until browned and cooked through, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the cooked meat to a bowl.

Add the oil to the skillet and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and simmer about 4 to 5 minutes, until it creates a sauce.

To the skillet, add ⅓ cup of the reserved chopped zucchini and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Return the cooked meat to the skillet and simmer covered for about 8 minutes until tender. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting salt and pepper to taste as needed.

On a clean working surface, fill the hollowed-out zucchinis with the meat filling, dividing equally between each one.

Place the broth in large deep 6-quart saucepan with a fitted lid. Heat over medium heat and add the stuffed zucchini halves into the saucepan, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for about 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft and cooked through.

Serving: Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.5g, Protein: 17.5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 129.5mg, Sodium: 119.5mg, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 5g

Albondigas Soup

Albondigas Soup

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Yield: 8 Servings
Adapted from Kristan Raines / La Crema Winery

Albondigas soup (“meatballs soup” in Spanish) is wonderfully fragrant and very filling. The meatballs are made up of a unique mixture of ground beef, fresh herbs, minced garlic, and, most importantly, a little bit of cooked white rice. Add some broth and veggies and you’re well on your way to crafting a satisfying meal.

For the broth:

  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 1½cups diced yellow onion
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 2bay leaves
  • 114.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 2celery stalks, chopped
  • 1large carrot (or 2 medium), chopped
  • 9cups chicken stock or half water, half stock
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1bunch cilantro

For the meatballs:

  • 1lb ground beef (or ½ lb ground beef and ½ lb spicy sausage)
  • ¼cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2TBS oregano, chopped
  • 1clove garlic, minced
  • 1cups uncooked white rice
  • 1large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1½tsp table salt
  • ¼tsp fresh ground pepper

Par-cook rice: Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add rice and ½ tsp salt and cook un-covered, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes. Drain rice and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Set aside.
Broth: Heat two TBS of olive oil in a large pot, add the diced onions, and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the minced garlic and the bay leaves and cook for an additional minute. Next, add the can of diced tomatoes to the pot along with the celery, carrots, potatoes, water and the chicken stock/water. Increase heat slightly and slowly bring up to a boil.

While the broth is working its way up to a boil, prepare the meatballs.

Meatballs: Add the ground beef, parsley, oregano, garlic, 1/4 of the par-cooked rice, salt, pepper, and the whisked egg to a medium bowl and gently massage with your hands until everything is combined.

Roll the meatball mixture into small, golf ball sized balls (about 16-20) and set aside.

Cook meatballs: Once the broth has come up to a boil gently add the meatballs and the remaining 3/4 of the par-cooked rice to the pot along with a few sprigs of cilantro. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes, or until the meatball are cooked through.

Once the meatballs are cooked through (160°F), taste the soup and add any extra salt or pepper that may be needed. Serve while hot with a garnish of fresh cilantro and a wedge of lemon.

Serve with: La Crema’s Monterey Pinot Noir.

Ultimate Meatballs

Ultimate Meatballs

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Yield: 8 to 16 Meatballs
Tyler Florence / Food Network

This recipe makes wonderful meatballs.  They are big though.  Unless you want one per person, make 16 instead.

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1small to medium onion, chopped
  • 2small garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1½TBS finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 3thick slices firm white bread, crust removed, cut into cubes (about 2 cups)
  • ¾cup milk
  • 1½lb ground beef
  • 1½lb ground pork
  • 1large egg
  • ¼cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but not colored, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.

Add the bread to a medium bowl and pour in the milk. Let the bread soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and cheese and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add it to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together. Don’t overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces and shape them into 8 nice looking meatballs. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Meat Pasty

Meat Pasty

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Yield: 6 servings
Recipe courtesy Santos Loo for Cooking Channel
  • 3cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
  • 1cup shortening or lard
  • Kosher salt
  • 1cup ice cold water
  • 8oz ground beef
  • 4oz rutabaga, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • ¼cup picked fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1egg, whisked

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the flour, shortening and a pinch of salt to a food processor and run the motor until the dough starts to clump together. With the motor running, drizzle in the water. Stop the motor when a ball begins to form. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This step allows the glutens to relax and makes for easier rolling.

Mix together the beef, rutabaga, carrots, onions, potatoes and parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to form the pies.

Cut the dough into 6 even pieces, about 5 ounces each, and form into balls. Make sure the dough is cold for easier handling. Flour a work surface and roll out each ball of dough into an 8-inch circle. Evenly divide the filling (about 3/4 cup per pastie) on one half of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to cover the mixture and crimp the edges using a fork. Slice 3 small slits on top of each pocket. This prevents steam from building up and splitting the dough. Brush the pasties with the egg and bake on the prepared baking sheet until the crust is golden brown and flaky, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with ketchup.

Cook’s Note: Pasties can be baked and then frozen. To reheat, place in a 300°F  oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Baked Stuffed Green Peppers

Baked Stuffed Green Peppers

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Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source Lost

Circa 2007:  I’ve lost track of where I found this recipe. It’s probably based on an Emeril Lagasse recipe.  Don’t discard the tops of the peppers when you remove them.  Instead, cut out the stem and mince the tops to add to the stuffing.

  • 4-6green bell peppers, tops cut away and seeds removed.
  • ½cup finely chopped green bell pepper tops
  • 2TBS vegetable oil
  • 1cup finely chopped yellow onions
  • ½lb ground beef
  • ½lb ground pork or mild sausage
  • 1TBS minced garlic
  • ¼cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • ¾tsp salt
  • ½tsp ground black pepper
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 2cups cooked long or medium-grain white rice
  • 8oz tomato sauce
  • water

Optional

  • bread crumbs, regular or panko


Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Check to make sure your seeded peppers stand up good.  If not, trim a very thin slice off of the bottom to give them some stability.  Try not to cut through the bottom leaving a hole.

In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Peppers can also be steamed upside down for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chopped bell peppers and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the beef, pork, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 6 minutes. Add the rice and tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place in the baking dish.

Optional: Top with breadcrumbs and/or cheese.

Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nowell Spaghetti Sauce

Nowell Spaghetti Sauce

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Yield: 4-6 servings
Loosely based on a recipe in the Seven Seas Nantucket Cookbook.

This is a moving target recipe if there ever was one. This is a quick cooking sauce and does not need long simmering.  Once the sauce is mixed and simmering, the sauce will be done in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta.

Meat:

  • 4-6Italian sausages, sweet, mild, hot or combination (optional)
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 8oz ground pork or ground sausage (optional)

Veg:

  • 2TBS Olive oil
  • 1small or medium onion chopped fine
  • 1green bell pepper, small dice (optional)
  • 2cloves garlic minced
  • 1green bell pepper, diced
  • 8oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered (optional)

For sauce:

  • 114-oz can tomato sauce
  • 114-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 16-oz can tomato paste (optional)
  • 16-oz can water (paste can) (optional)

Seasonings:

  • 1tsp basil
  • 1tsp oregano
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp sugar
  • ¼ to ½tsp fresh ground black pepper


For sausage: If adding the optional sausage, place them in a sauté pan over medium high heat with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Turn over after 6 minutes, cover and cook for another 6 minutes. Pour water into a glass measuring cup. Return to stove, and sauté until browned on all sides 4-8 minutes. Set aside.

For mushrooms: If adding the optional mushrooms, place them and a TBS of olive oil to the sauté pan over medium heat. Cook for 4-8 minutes, until water evaporates and mushrooms brown. Set aside.

Sweat vegetables: In a 2-qt sauce pan, heat 1 TBS olive oil and sweat (see Terms) onion and optional green pepper over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds more. Remove to a small bowl.

For ground beef: Carefully remove any left over garlic, otherwise it will burn and get bitter. Turn heat up to medium-high. Add ground beef and brown until mostly cooked through. Reduce heat to medium.

For sauce: Return onion and garlic to pan. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and optional paste. Fill paste can with tap or sausage water and add. Add all seasonings and 1 TBS olive oil. Stir carefully. If using, add sausage to pan. Cover, bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer while pasta cooks.

Options:

Go meatless with no beef or sausage. Ha ha ha.
Replace onion with 1 TBS Minced onion flakes.
Replace garlic with ½ tsp garlic powder (only if desperate).
Adjust seasonings. I always uses a heaping tsp of basil and oregano based on an eye-ball guess.