Mama Elsa's Stuffed Zucchini

This stuffed zucchini recipe came from Rachael Ray's website and it calls for crushed red pepper, white wine, and pecorino-romano or parmigiano-romano. Marth Stewart's stuffed zucchini recipe is not as complicated and it does not call for crushed red pepper. So, if you have a softer pallet you might what to try her stuffed zucchini recipe instead.





Ingredients

Six 5-inch zucchini 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 5 garlic cloves, 1 crushed and 4 finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 can diced tomatoes (15 ounces), drained and juice reserved Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 10 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and hollow them out with a small scoop or spoon. Drizzle the zucchini boats with a little olive oil and place them in the middle of the oven to roast (they will be ready when you take the stuffing off the heat). Chop the zucchini centers.
2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the crushed garlic clove, the red pepper flakes, the onion and the chopped zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the zucchini begins to caramelize. Finely chop the tomatoes and add them to the stuffing. Stir until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook until the wine evaporates, then stir in the reserved tomato juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the tomato juice slowly cook off as well.
3. While the stuffing cooks, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the bread crumbs and lightly toast them, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese, parsley and lots of fresh pepper and remove from the heat.
4. When the liquid has almost cooked out of the stuffing, stir in the bread crumb mixture and the basil and remove it from the heat. Remove the zucchini from the oven and fill each with a mound of stuffing. Place the boats back in the oven and bake for 5 minutes to crisp the bread crumbs.