L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano T his is a very special recipe for me. In 1993, I visited my relatives near Senigallia, Italy for the first time. Lena, my dad's cousin Fulvio Becci's wife, prepared this dish for me. I loved it then, but had never seen a recipe for it until I was back in Marche last fall and purchased a recent marchigiano cookbook. There, I rediscovered the detailed recipe (in Italian). I remember so clearly eating this dish way back then, and wonde- ring how the heck they got the stuffing into the zucchini. Years later I found just the tool in a kit- chen supply store in Los Angeles—it looks something like a double-long apple corer. It makes the recipe equally about the zucchini and the stuffing. Having found the tool and now finally the recipe, I was ready to replicate the delicious dish my cousin's wife had prepared for me 22 years ago! The really important trick to this recipe is selecting small and VERY straight zucchini so you can core them cleanly. I also have prepared them with this recipe in a non-traditional way, serving them over a bed of raw Sungold tomato sauce. The traditional ver- sion uses strained tomatoes added to the frying pan at the end in which the zucchini is simmered, which is what I have written below. Either way, this is a GREAT dish for summer. This dish makes 8 appetizers or 4 main courses: Ingredients and Directions: • 8 small and very straight zuc- chini • 1 tbsp butter • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped • 1 @ 14.5 oz can good quality chopped tomatoes Zucchine r ipiene all marchigiana (Stuffed zucchini Marche style) JOSEPH BECCI • ½ cup dry white wine • ½ lb ground veal • 1 tbsp chopped parsley • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese • Salt and pepper • Extra virgin olive oil • 1 @ 750 gram box strained tomatoes (i.e., Pomi) Special equipment: • Extra long vegetable corer (6-inch) Trim the ends of the zucchini. Using the corer, bore a hole long- ways through the center and remove the interior. It takes a lit- tle practice to insert the corer straight down the center of the MAESTRO BRAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE Also served at many of your favorite restaurants! www.maestrosausage.com Find us exclusively at the following retailers: Sorrento Italian Market 5518 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230 Beef Palace Butcher Shop 5895 Warner & Springdale HunƟngton Beach, CA 92649 The Butchery 415 South Associated Rd Brea, CA 92821 The Butchery 103 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 The Meat House 23982 Alicia Parkway Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Vicente Foods 12027 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Roma Italian Deli & Grocery 918 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91104 Bay CiƟes Imports 1517 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 Eastside Market Italian Deli 1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Eagle Rock Italian Bakery 1726 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 CavareƩa's Italian Deli 22045 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303 Mickey's Deli 101 Hermosa Beach Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Grand View Market 12210 Venice Blvd Mar Vista, CA 90291 Venice Ranch Market 425 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291 zucchini. You can bore in from both sides and meet in the midd- le, too. In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the zucchini, melt the butter over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Sauté until soft but not browned. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Let it evaporate a little. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Finally, add the ground veal and sauté until just slightly browned, letting the sauce thicken up. Remove to a bowl and let the mixture cool. Add the parsley and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Now using your fin- gers, stuff the zucchini with the mixture, making sure it comple- tely fills the interior. You can pack it in fairly tight. Wipe out the sauté pan with a paper towel. Any little bits left will burn unless you remove them. Add the olive oil to sauté pan over medium heat. Add the zuc- chini and sauté until they are very lightly browned and the skin begins to crinkle a little. Roll the zucchini around in the pan to get all sides cooked. Add the strained tomatoes, a little salt and pepper, and cook until the zucchini is soft. Again, roll the zucchini around so it gets nicely coated in the sauce. Serve the zucchini on a plate, spooning over some of the sauce. Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they co-author the blog OurItalianTable.com. Stuffed zucchini Marche style

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