Stuffed Zucchini
Zucchini:
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cups water
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup red lentils
1 cup bulgur wheat
salt, to taste
Sauce:
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/3 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon chili powder
several grinds black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut zucchini center out, leaving a shell. Chop the insides, and add onion. Put this in a non stick skillet, add marjoram and basil. Let it all cook in its own juice until all is tender and cooked down. Add jalapeno peppers.
2. Boil the 3 cups water, and add carrots and lentils. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then add 1 cup bulgur wheat, lower heat and let simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for another 10 or 15 minutes. Add salt. Add the bulgur wheat to the zucchini, stir together.
4. For sauce, mix all sauce ingredients. Stuff bulgur mixture into the shells, and mound up a bit. Add to casserole dish. Top with a sauce, and bake for about 45 minutes or nuke it for about 20 minutes, covered with wax paper.'
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Yummy. I halved the recipe, then subbed barley for the bulgar and added veggie broth to the barley/lentil mixture for flavour. I had a bunch of extra stuffing as well, but it's yummy on it's own so that's no problem!
marjoram, otherwise known as sweet marjoram, is actually a herb. it can easily be substituted with oregano, a close relative. lmm07468 is quite right about its availability.
here is a link to a photograph of sweet marjoram:
http://www.cobleskill.edu/courses/orht321/Origanumheracleoticum0002.JPG
its a spice... you should be able to find it in the spice section of any grocery store
Hi! Could someody tell me what majoram is? Thanks :)
I'm waiting for those bad boys to finish cooking. They smell great, and the stuffing is excellent. I used half a cup of barley instead of bulgar wheat, and was able to use up all the stuffing after I let most of the water cook out of the zucchini. I didn't have any jalepeno pepppers, so I used Rotel tomatoes instead of regular. I'm quite happy as I contemplate my dinner. :-)