Zucchini and Vine Leaves Stuffed with Meat

Zucchini stuffed with ground meat is a common dish in Greece. In early summer, in Crete, in Peloponnese, and also in the villages on the outskirts of Athens, stuffed vine leaves are added to the stuffed zucchini. The combination produces a much tastier dish.

The recipe that follows was given to me by Mary Belba, a journalist friend whose family lived in Vrilissia, a village in the north of Athens. Once a farming community where all kinds of vegetables and fruits wer