Zucchini with rice filling

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 3 zucchini, approx. 350g each
• 120 g risotto rice
• 375 ml tomato juice
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp, heaped tomato paste, single concentrate
• 1 tbsp, leveled raw cane sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 75 g tomatoes, dried, not pickled in oil *
• 75 ml white wine, organic (alternatively water or vegetable stock) +
• 100 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 g oregano, fresh, leaves only
• 125 ml tomato juice
• 400 g tomatoes, chopped from the can
• 75 ml white wine, organic (alternatively water or vegetable stock) +
• 1 tsp, leveled sea salt
• n. B. Pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tsp, leveled raw cane sugar
• 1 tbsp, heaped tomato paste, single concentrate
• Zucchini – Inside of the 3 zucchini
• 100 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Mediterranean stuffed zucchini from the oven, vegetarian

For the stuffed zucchini, wash the zucchini, remove any woody ends, and cut in half lengthwise. Hollow out the zucchini halves (I always do this with a melon baller), leaving a 0.5 cm thick edge. Finely chop the zucchini inside and set aside for the sauce. Dice the onion and garlic and sauté in the olive oil. Add the risotto rice and stir until translucent. Add the cane sugar, bay leaf, and tomato paste, then deglaze with the white wine (or water or vegetable stock) and reduce. Then deglaze with the tomato juice and season with salt. Cook the rice over low heat for 20-25 minutes until al dente, then remove the bay leaf. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small cubes and finely chop the oregano. Stir both ingredients into the cooked rice along with 50g of Parmesan and season to taste. Fill the zucchini halves with the cooked rice filling and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Then place the zucchini in a suitable baking dish. For the sauce, dice the onion and garlic and sauté in the olive oil. Add the finely chopped zucchini insides and sauté. Deglaze with the white wine (alternatively water or vegetable stock) and allow to reduce. Add the canned tomatoes. Season with tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper and add the water. Pour the sauce around the zucchini in the baking dish and cook everything in the preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 30 minutes on the middle rack. If necessary, cover the zucchini halfway through the cooking time to prevent it from overcooking. Notes: Sun-dried tomatoes that aren’t preserved in oil are often very salty. Therefore, the salt content of the sun-dried tomatoes must be taken into account when cooking and additional salt may be used less. Organic wine is not permitted to use gelatin for clarification, making it truly vegetarian or vegan.