Squash that evokes smiles

By Faye Levy
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- Celebrating autumn's bounty is a popular party theme right now. Among many people, particularly those with Mediterranean roots, a favorite way to enjoy the fruits of the season is by dining on stuffed vegetables. In Jewish homes they are a highlight of holiday meals for the fall harvest festival of Sukkot.

Each vegetable has its aficionados. At the top of the list are squashes, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and cabbage leaves. People also stuff celery stalks, onions, chard, grape leaves, and even potatoes and carrots. When time is short, zucchini and other soft-skinned squash are a great choice. They are easy to fill and cook rapidly and make attractive vegetable containers.

Around the Mediterranean, stuffing formulas abound. Meat stuffings are the best loved for holidays, perhaps because the dense richness of meat is the perfect complement for light-textured squash. A well-seasoned, succulent stuffing lends zest to what some consider a bland, humdrum vegetable, turning it into festive fare. Ground beef and lamb are the preferred meats, although today some substitute chicken or turkey.

Seeing stuffed vegetables on the table brings smiles of anticipation. Their homey charm lies in the melding of the two elements: the flavorful filling and the vegetable. As they cook, the rich taste of the stuffing suffuses through the vegetables and they acquire an enticing aroma. Yet these delightful dishes are a prime example of frugal family cooking. They are basically comfort foods designed to make use of available ingredients. The vegetables help stretch the more costly meat. The meat, in turn, makes the veggies more satisfying.

In some kitchens, proper seasoning can simply mean judicious use of salt and pepper. The natural flavor of the meat and the squash creates the magic as they simmer together. For other cooks, a browned onion is a must, as are garlic and herbs, notably Italian parsley, cilantro, oregano or thyme. Additional accents are cinnamon in the Greek kitchen, allspice in Lebanon and Turkey, and cumin, turmeric and lots of black pepper among Israelis of Yemenite origin. Raisins and pine nuts are special-occasion embellishments favored in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Rice is a typical component of meat stuffings. Some feel it is added for reasons of economy. That's why the stuffings in such dishes as the Turkish eggplant named the "Sheik of Stuffed Vegetables" include meat and pine nuts alone. For my taste, rice improves the meat filling's texture so it is not too compact, as does soaked bread, a frequent alternative.

For stuffing you can choose zucchini, straight or curved yellow squash or flower-shaped pattypan squash. Middle Eastern cooks opt for a pale green, zucchini-like squash. It's sold in some Latino markets in the United States as Mexican squash, but I've seen it in seed catalogs as Middle Eastern squash.

The easiest stuffing technique is to cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, scoop out the centers and fill them. But there's more than one way to stuff a squash. A common method in Israel and the surrounding area is to hollow out small, whole squashes for stuffing with the aid of a tool resembling an apple corer. This somewhat time-consuming technique is not for busy days. Besides, whole stuffed squashes take longer to cook than halves do.

You can serve stuffed squash as a first or main course or even as a side dish, depending on the rest of the menu. Because it reheats beautifully, it is one of the most convenient, do-ahead vegetable dishes. Indeed, home cooks routinely prepare enough for more than one meal. In Mediterranean countries nobody worries about keeping the squash al dente. Most people like it to be meltingly tender. I find stuffed squash perfect for potluck dinners, a favorite entertaining style among my family and friends.

Beef-stuffed Zucchini with Pine Nuts and Raisins

A luscious filling in the Eastern Mediterranean tradition of meat and rice flavored with nuts, fruit, allspice and sauteed onions turns these squashes into a festive dish.

There are two ways to prepare the meat. Either saute it as in the recipe below for a slightly crumbly texture, or mix the raw meat with the cooled sauteed onions for a firmer filling.

Some people add raw rice but I find it sometimes cooks unevenly. To save time, you can use bread instead of rice: Dip 2 slices of white bread in water until they are moistened, then squeeze them dry and mix them with the sauteed meat.

Baking the stuffed squash is convenient because you can serve them in their baking dish. Alternatively, you can simmer them on top of the stove in a deep skillet or saute pan to shorten their cooking time by about 5 minutes. Do not add so much water that it washes the stuffing out of the squash when it boils.

You can chop the removed squash centers and add them to the squash cooking liquid for a little extra flavor. You can also add some whole thyme sprigs.