Mexican Farmers' Market

Went to the Farmers' Market today. Headed directly to one of the little food stands and had a Quesadilla and a Coke. It was very hot out today and I was starving. Decided to shop with a full belly. Well, not too full really cause the Quesadilla was modest.

Bought some nice veggies and was very good not to overbuy which is easy for me. I get excited and decide to buy all sorts of things that go bad before I get to them. Oh well.

One of the things that one can buy in these markets in the summer is round zucchini and to my delight, there they were. I bought a few and some cilantro, tomatoes and lots of delicious cut up fruit. They added lime juice, some salt and chili to the fruit cup that I got and packed it up so I could eat it at home.

Here's what I did with round zucchini. I'm sure one can use regular zucchini as well.

Zapallitos Rellenos (Stuffed round zucchini)

4 Zapallitos (or regular zucchini)
½ an onion – finely chopped
3 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1 corn – off the cob (I suppose one can use canned, I just happened to have bought a couple)
1 small carrot, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
¼ tsp brown mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin
a bit of chilli (to taste)
a few curry leaves (not essential but delish)
1 egg slightly beaten
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
½ cup of Mozzarella cut in tiny little pieces
¼ cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
a small dab of butter
chopped cilantro for color on the top


Boil the zapallitos in salted water together with the corn and the carrot for approximately 10 minutes. The zapallitos should hold their shape. Cool them down. I replaced the boiling water for cold water and a few cubes of ice to make it faster. Cut the zapallitos in half horizontally and scoop out the flesh. You may have to trim the stem so they can stand up properly. Make sure you don’t dig too deep when getting the flesh out so that the actual “cups” hold their shape.



Filling

Warm up the olive oil with the mustard seeds and when they start to cook (you’ll notice it cause they pop up and practically jump off the pan) add the cumin, curry leaves, garlic and onion. Saute for a little while (they shouldn’t get brown) and add the flesh of the zapallito flesh to the mix. Warm up for a little and then turn off stove.

Put the mixture in a bowl and add a slightly beaten egg, the breadcrumbs, mozarella and the parmesan cheese.

Fill each cup with this mixture, sprinkle some breadcrumbs and some grated cheese on top. I put a dab of butter on each (no good reason other than taste I guess)

Put zapallitos in a pan and place in the oven for around 15/ 20 minutes or until the top looks golden and it looks too delicious to leave in the oven any longer.


Sprinkle with a little cilantro and serve.

PS: I had extra stuffing so I put it in a little microwave safe dish sprinkled parmesan on it and nuked it for around 5 minutes. Discovered it would make a great veggie side all by itself which I will probably eat in the next few days.

By the way, this is what the filling looks like.