Pascale's Kitchen: Stuffed Vegetables

I believe that stuffed vegetables tell a story of where you come from, what kind of traditions you grew up with and what your family was like.When I was a young girl, every Friday morning I used to watch my mother prepare stuffed vegetables. There would be a huge pile of fresh herbs on the kitchen table, which she would pick through to discard any rejects. Next, she would also sort through all the vegetables, deciding which would be used for preparing cooked vegetable spreads, which for fresh salads and, of course, which were nice enough for using in her famous stuffed vegetable dish. Learn more about Pascale's Kitchen here>>In one hand, she would hold a vegetable, while with the other she would begin peeling and cutting them accordingly. My mother would lop off the tops of the bell peppers, saving them so she could replace them on top of the peppers after they were cleaned inside, filled with all sorts of goodness and ready to be slowly cooked in a tasty tomato sauce.She would cut the potatoes in big, thick layers so they could be used to make sandwiches. Zucchini, eggplant and pumpkins were also sliced to form sandwiches, and all the insides of the vegetables that were scooped out would be added to the delicious stuffing. The pile of sliced vegetables on the table, just waiting to be stuffed, would grow taller and taller. Next, my mother would whisk out her huge bowl, to which she would add the ground beef, the bread that had been soaked, squeezed out, and torn into little pieces, and lots of spices, including cumin, coriander, salt, turmeric, black pepper, paprika and, of course, a heaping spoonful of harissa.I remember seeing this beautiful rainbow of colors on top of the meat before she would start mixing them all together. Next, she would add the onions and fresh herbs, which had been soaking in water. She would reach into the bowl, grab a bunch of herbs, squeeze out all the water and then add it to the meat.She would then knead the meat mixture with both hands and put all the force of her body into the mixing. When it was ready, she would take a small amount of meat and begin pressing it into all the vegetables, then arranging all the vegetables squished together in a pan. The next stage was dipping them in flour and then beaten egg, and lightly frying them for 2-3 minutes. Afterward, my mother would begin preparing the sauce for the stuffed vegetables. She’d take a huge pot and begin frying onions. Then, she’d add crushed tomatoes and a variety of vegetables.Finally, it was time to add the stuffed vegetables to the sauce. She would add them so that they were all squished in together with no extra room at all. Then she would take hold of both handles, lift the pot up a little, and lightly shake it back and forth so that the sauce would rise up and cover the stuffed vegetables.Then, she would cover the pot and let the vegetables cook slowly over a low flame. The sauce would thicken and the outsides of the vegetables would begin to brown.It’s hard to even describe the incredible aroma that would waft from this pot. I am always trying to reconstruct that same fragrance from my childhood. Sometimes I get very, very close, and when I succeed, I am the happiest person in the world.This week, I bring you recipes from Tripolitan cuisine. The first recipe is mafrum, which are stuffed potatoes filled with a meat mixture. Next, they are dipped in flour, then in egg mixed with tomato sauce, fried, then added to a big pot to cook slowly with sauce.Mafrum is traditionally served with couscous.The second recipe is for stuffed vegetables – any vegetables can be used – that are filled with a meat and rice mixture, and then cooked in a spicy tomato sauce.The for dessert: an apricot cream cheese tart. STUFFED VEGETABLESMakes 8-10 servings. Vegetables:

Makes 30 patties.6 medium potatoes, peeled and rinsed

Apricot halvesTo prepare the crust, use a food processor to combine all the ingredients, by using one pulse at a time until crumbly. Wrap the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, roll out the dough to a thickness of 3.5 cm. and place it in a pie dish.Place a sheet of baking paper on top of the dough and then place baking weights on top and blind-bake it. Or, if you don’t have weights, you can use dried beans. When the crust is done, remove from oven. To prepare the apricot cream, add the apricot puree, eggs and sugar to a glass or metal bowl and mix with a whisk.Heat a pot with water and then place the bowl with the apricot mixture on top of it. Keep stirring until mixed well, then remove from the flame.Add the gelatin that was dissolved in the water and the vanilla to the apricot mixture. Strain the mixture.When the mixture has cooled a little, add the butter while mixing with an immersion blender. Mix until smooth.Let it cool down. Pour the apricot cream on the crust. To prepare the cream cheese filling, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the cream cheese filling over the apricot layer.Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 160° for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 140° and bake for another 10 or 20 minutes, until the filling is firm.Remove from oven and let cool completely. Level of difficulty: Difficult.
Time: 1 hour.
Status: Dairy.Translated by Hannah Hochner.