When Life Hands You an Oversized Zucchini...

Thanks to Brent for sharing the garden bounty from his mega backyard farm and his nuclear mutated zucchini patch! As you can see this was no typical zucchini; consequently, it deserved a thoughtful preparation. Since the seeds in this behemoth were themselves behemoth (as far as zucchini seeds go) the vegetable was begging to be gutted and stuffed.

I sauteed some onions, garlic, and roasted Hatch Chile Peppers and seasoned with S & P and sweet paprika before throwing in some quinoa for a pilaf preparation with chicken broth. After the quinoa was cooked I grated in some cave aged Gruyere left over from appetizers with friends and family last weekend. I made a fast puree of tomato paste, tomato sauce, olive oil, and S & P to top the quinoa once it was stuffed in. I then pulled the provolone cheese over the snugly stuffed zucc like a loving parent would pull the blanket over their child after a bedtime story. Thirty minutes at 375 produced this!

I loved the amount of zucchini flesh in this big bad veggie. Because the classic zucchini flavor was a little more mild than most zucchinis (most likely a trade off for the size) it really served as a great stufee for a rich filling.