Clotilde Dusoulier's Stuffed Vegetables with Beans and Barley

All week long, Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zucchini will be sharing recipes from her latest, The French Market Cookbook, answering our questions, and giving away copies of her book to a few lucky readers. With her as our guest editor, we're feeling slightly more French -- and significantly more inspired.

Petits Farcis Niçois are a traditional recipe from Provence: assorted summer vegetables (tomatoes, onions, zucchini, mini pattypans, and the like) are hollowed out, garnished with a meat-based stuffing, and roasted in the oven. I am quite smitten with the concept of stuffed vegetables; they make for a fun preparation process, and a good-looking dish. But I forgo the classic meat stuffing in favor of grains and legumes, which do a wonderful job of both satisfying the appetite and enhancing the flavors of the vegetable shells they fill. You could dream up an infinity of worthy fillings; here, I use Fresh Shell Beans and Barley with Sage and Garlic.

Stuffed Vegetables with Beans and Barley

Serves 6

6 small red onions
6 small zucchini, round or elongated
6 small round tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted 
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
Fresh Shell Beans and Barley with Sage and Garlic (see the recipe here)
Olive oil, for cooking

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Francoise Nicol