Author Notes
This spicy, fragrant dish make s a lovely centerpiece for a lovely brunch, lunch or light supper. Serve with a mild sesame tahini sauce or cooling yogurt cucumber salsa or both. Brimming with the flavors of the Maghreb and Southern Spain and the kiss of Urfa pepper, this is smoky meal is held together not by breadcrumbs, but by flavorful and healthy walnuts! It's a dairy free, kosher meal that's as delicious as it is easy.
—tw
Ingredients
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3
medium zucchini
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2 teaspoons
olive oil
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1 /14 cups
medium onion peeled and diced
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3
cloves garlic, peeled and minced
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon
smoked paprika
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1/2 pound
(or 5 links) lamb merguez sausage, Neshama brand beef and lamb Moroccan or Tunisian , preferred
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1 cup
cooked white or brown rice, medium grain preferred
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2 tablespoons
dried apricots chopped
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2 tablespoons
walnuts, finely ground
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
Urfa pepper
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3
egg whites, lightly beaten
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1/4 cup
chicken stock, low sodium
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2 tablespoons
walnuts, roughly chopped, optional
Directions
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Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and flesh and discard, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.
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Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Remove the lamb meat from the casing and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring and breaking up any large pieces, until lamb is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the rice, apricots, walnuts, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then transfer to a mixing bowl to cool.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Add the egg whites to the cooled sausage and rice filling and mix well. Evenly divide the filling between the zucchini shells and place in a shallow baking dish. Add the stock to the bottom of the pan. Bake uncovered until the zucchini is cooked and the filling is hot, 30 to 35 minutes.
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Garnish with walnuts, if using, and serve.
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