Stuffed Zucchini with Egg-Lemon Sauce

Stuffed vegetables are a cornerstone of Greek summer cooking. This version with zucchini, filled with herbed meat and rice, gets finished with the classic Greek avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce — creamy, tangy, and utterly addictive.

Preparing the Zucchini

1. Wash the zucchini and cut off the stems. If the zucchini are extra big or long, they can be cut in half before hollowing out.

2. Using a vegetable corer or small spoon, hollow out each zucchini, leaving the outer shell about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

3. Save about 1/2 cup of the scooped zucchini flesh to add to the filling. The rest can be frozen for soup or casseroles later.

Making the Filling

1. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, chopped green onions, dill (and/or fennel greens), olive oil, rice, warm water, and salt.

2. Add the reserved grated zucchini flesh to the mixture.

3. Mix everything together with your hands until well combined.

4. Fill each hollowed zucchini with the meat-rice mixture. Don't overfill — the rice needs room to expand.

Cooking in a Pot or Pressure Cooker

I always cook this in my pressure cooker with a steaming rack. If you do not have a pressure cooker, but do have a steaming rack, you can use your rack or basket in the pot so that the zucchini won't get stuck nor will the filling fall out.

1. If using a regular pot, choose one that will keep the zucchini close together when placed standing up on its closed end in a single layer if possible.

2. If using a regular pot: Add very hot water just to the top of the zucchini. For pressure cooker: Put a steaming rack or basket inside deep pot or pressure cooker and add water until just below the rack.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. If using a pressure cooker, cover and cook 6 minutes after it starts whistling.

4. Cook until the rice is done — about 30-40 minutes on the stovetop.

5. Carefully remove the stuffed zucchini to a serving platter and reserve the cooking liquid.

Making the Egg-Lemon Sauce

This is the classic avgolemono technique used across Greek cooking.

1. Estimate your pan juices. For each cup, you'll need 1 egg and the juice of 1 lemon.

2. In a bowl, beat the egg(s) well.

3. Add the lemon juice and beat together.

4. Very slowly, add hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Start with just a spoonful at a time — this tempers the eggs so they don't scramble.

5. Once the egg mixture is hot, pour it back into the pot with the remaining broth.

6. Whisk continuously over low heat until the sauce thickens. Don't let it boil.

7. If your sauce does not thicken as much as you like, dilute 1 spoon of corn starch in a little water and add to the sauce — with the heat, the sauce should thicken immediately.

Serving

Pour the egg-lemon sauce over the stuffed zucchini on the platter.

The sauce should be creamy and coating, not too thick, not too thin.

The Egg-Lemon Technique

Mastering avgolemono opens up a whole world of Greek cooking. The same technique is used for:

• Cabbage rolls (lahano dolmades)
• Meatballs in sauce (youvalakia)
• Chicken soup (avgolemono)
• Lamb fricassee with lettuce

The key is patience: add the hot liquid very slowly to the eggs, whisking constantly.

Variations

Vegetarian: Skip the meat and double the rice. Add more herbs and perhaps some crumbled feta to the filling.

Make-Ahead

The stuffed zucchini can be prepared and cooked ahead but you must reserve the cooking broth to make the sauce. Make the egg-lemon sauce fresh just before serving for the best texture.

Freezing tip: Freeze without the avgolemono sauce. Unlike avgolemono soup where the sauce is incorporated in lots of liquid, the thick avgolemono used here won't keep its texture after freezing. Make the sauce fresh when serving.