Zucchini Stuffed with Feta, Dill, and Pinenuts

I'm very late in posting the recipes from my July dinner, but want to get these up before Molly's feast tomorrow.

I hosted dinner on an incredibly hot summer week where I was extremely busy at work, so I was looking for a dinner that was relatively simple and required minimal use of the stove. We had hummus and Emily's delicious htpiti for appetizers. My neighbor Judy's garden was overflowing with zucchini (and dill!), so the main dish was stuffed zucchini along with an orzo salad and tomatoes with mozzarella. For dessert we had a frozen peanut butter cheesecake.



Zucchini Stuffed with Feta, Dill, and Pine Nuts

4 1/2-pound zucchini, scrubbed
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound Feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
half a cup of toasted pine nuts

Trim and discard the stem ends from 2 of the zucchini, halve the 2 zucchini lengthwise, and with a melon-ball cutter (I used a spoon and it was much easier than I expected) scoop out the flesh, reserving it and leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Arrange the shells, cut sides up, on a steamer rack set over simmering water and steam them, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are just tender. Invert the shells on paper towels to drain.

Toast the pine nuts in a little of olive oil with a bit of salt. When the pine nuts are nicely browned, remove from heat drain and set aside.

Cut the remaining 2 zucchini crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a non-stick skillet cook the onions in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until they are softened, add the reserved flesh, chopped, and the zucchini slices, and sauté the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden. In a food processor blend the mixture with the Feta until the zucchini slices are chopped coarse and stir in the dill. Divide the filling among the 4 zucchini shells, arrange the stuffed zucchini in an oiled flameproof baking dish, and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 3 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and deep golden.

Note from Rebecca: I doubled this recipe in a not completely accurate way so that I would have 6 zucchinis, so I ended up with a lot of extra filling and it was delicious on its own.

From Epicurious.