Foot Long Stuffed Zucchini

After my neighbor gave me the first squash, she returned with this foot long zucchini, which had been hiding from her and secretly growing out of bounds. She was unsure of what to do about it, but not me, I am not to be intimidated by a vegetable. I knew right away that I would stuff it.

I originally got the idea for this unusual and surprisingly flavorful stuffing from Lidia Bastianich, though I think she might be mortified if she saw the way I had compromised her recipe.

Stuffing for Zucchini
1/4 c. toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 c. bread crumbs, toasted
1/2 c. grated parmesan
1 Tbsp. thinly sliced garlic
3 Tbsp. golden raisins
1/4 c. oil cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Stir together in a mixing bowl.

Pour a couple of tablespoons olive oil into a shallow baking dish. Scoop out the insides of the zucchini. The insides of this giant was mostly seeds and pulp, so I discarded them. If you are using smaller zucchini, you can put what you scrape out into the stuffing.

Pile in the stuffing. Tightly cover the dish with foil, tenting it so the foil does not rest directly on the food. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese, if desired, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until desired doneness.

Last summer, I spotted these round zucchini at a farm stand. They were about the size of a grapefruit and I had never seen such a thing. They were so cute! I had to have them, and I stuffed them with this same stuffing.