Zucchini Stuffed with Lamb and Toasted Chickpeas in Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Name: Zucchini Stuffed with Lamb and Toasted Chickpeas in Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: 8 small zucchini, about 2½ pounds; Salt and freshly ground pepper; ½ teaspoon ground Middle Eastern Spice Mixture, or use pinches of ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño or other mildly hot green pepper; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; Yogurt-Tahini Sauce; Turkish red pepper or Aleppo pepper; 8 ounces lean lamb shoulder, coarsely ground; ½ cup unsalted toasted chickpeas (see Mail Order Sources); Pinch of sugar; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, sliced

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen

By Paula Wolfert

Published 2003

About

This dish, served to me in a home in the small, southern Anatolian town of Kilis on the Turkish-Syrian border, is a quintessential slow-cooked Mediterranean dish: juicy, unctuous, delicious.

When I first ate it, I was especially intrigued by the fact that the outside of the vegetable was soft, while its stuffing remained slightly crunchy. Toasted chickpeas endow the stuffing with a warm, nutty flavor. Toasted chickpeas are available from Middle Eastern and Indian grocers.

Ingredients

Asia
Turkey
Side dish
Gluten-free
Spicy
Mediterranean

Ingredients

Method