Stuffed vegetables feel like home, and zucchini stuffed with freekeh, the smoked green wheat, are a labor of love for those who enjoy putting in the effort.
For hollowing out the zucchinis (a close relative of cucumbers), it's recommended to use a a tool for scooping zucchinis, available in stores for just NIS 10. This will make the process much easier and more straightforward.
Ingredients:
2 cups freekeh
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion or 2 small ones
2 carrots
1 tablespoon fine salt
2 celery stalks, including leaves
2 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
½ tablespoon ground black pepper
12 green zucchinis
For the sauce:
200 grams tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
1 liter boiling water
Preparation Instructions:
1. Soak the freekeh in water and set it aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, dice the onion into small cubes and sauté in olive oil over low heat.
3. Peel the carrots and grate them using the large holes on a grater. Add to the pan.
4. Drain the freekeh. Stir the pan occasionally.
5. Wash and separate the celery leaves, setting them aside. Dice the celery stalks into small cubes and add to the pan.
6. Cook the onion until golden brown, almost caramelized, then add the freekeh and sauté together for about five minutes.
7. Dice the tomato into small cubes and add it to the mixture. Cook for two minutes, then remove from heat.
8. Chop the celery leaves and mix them into the pan along with the grated garlic clove, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well.
9. Preheat the oven to 160°C (preferably with a fan). Hollow out and clean the zucchinis, then generously fill them with the freekeh mixture.
10. Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Pour the sauce over the stuffed zucchinis. Cover the baking dish with parchment paper and aluminum foil, and bake for two and a half hours.
11. After two hours, remove the foil and parchment paper and continue baking for the remaining half hour.
Rubi Michael, in collaboration with Sugat