Iraqi stuffed zucchini and turkey pot-pie

This week, in duality, I diverge from the philosophies of this blog. Not only did I cook a non-middle-eastern dish (turkey pot-pie), I chose a second dish that uses a vegetable that is not currently in-season (zucchini). During my weekly trip to my local farmer's market this morning, one farmer had a few winter zucchini he had grown in his private greenhouse. They were absolutely beautiful and calling out my name, as I was opining for summer... The pot-pie came to mind as I was thinking about my midwestern roots.

Seemingly indigenous, you will find a multitude of 'stuffed', or mahshi, recipes throughout the Middle East. The Persians love to spice things up with dried fruit while the Iraqis savor a sweet-and-sour sauce over many of their versions of stuffed vegetable dishes. Commonly stuffed vegetables are, of course, eggplant (moussaka), zucchini, peppers and onions. More exotic mahshi are stuffed lamb, chicken fallopian tube (bithwould) and guava.

This week's dish is an Iraqi stuffed zucchini with meat and rice, one of my personal favorites. Iraqis cherish this sweet/sour combination, commonly found throughout Iraqi cooking. You you can imagine this combination to have traveled from the far east down the Silk Road as a localized interpretation of yin/yang through Persia's Zoroastrian balance between good and evil. You can further imagine this revolutionary idea influencing their close neighbor to the West, Iraq. In addition, this dish uses a central spice of Iraqi cooking -- cardemom.

The turkey pot-pie is a childhood favorite of mine (I am from the midwest, after all...). This recipe from the Mayo Clinic lends a healthy twist to this dish with its top-only cornmeal crust, use of sour cream instead of heavy cream and other in-season veggies. If you can't find frozen artichoke hearts, substitute potatoes, turnips or any other starchy, mildly mineral-y root vegetable (not beets). The easy filling can be made a day ahead; just mix the crust batter whilst the oven heats and the pie's ready to assemble.

Zucchini Stuffed with Meat and Rice (Mahshi Kousa)

Prep time 3o minutes, cooking time ~1 hour.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. small or medium sized zucchini; the best are the light, "Little Tree of Sarzano," zucchini which are light green with whitish stripes and shaped slightly like an eggplant.
• Hashwa meat-and-rice filling (see recipe below)
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (canola is the best as it has a higher smoke point and does not break down)
• Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 cloves freshly crushed garlic
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. crushed, dried mint

Instructions:

1. Wash the zucchini and slice off the stem end. With a long, narrow vegetable or apple corer (see photo below -- this is not the usual apple corer sold in the U.S.), make a hole at this end of each zucchini and scoop out the pulp, being careful not the break the skin and not the break through the other end. This is a learned, artistic step, so don't be disappointed if it takes a few of the zucchini to get the knack. The secret is digging in gently and giving a sharp, quick twist before pulling out the pulp. Dig out the majority of the pulp, leaving about 1/4" of skin and pulp throughout. The pulp can be kept for a stew or a salad.
2. Prepare the hashwa filling in a bowl. Fill each zucchini 2/3 full, to allow room for the rice to swell.
3. Saute the onions in the oil on a medium flame until translucent.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and saute for a few minutes more.
5. Mix 1 cup of water with the juice of 1 lemon and the sugar. Add to the tomato and onions.
6. Add salt and pepper to-taste.
7. Add the zucchini, each laying its side so that the opening of each hole is partly in the liquid.
8. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, or until the zucchini are soft.
9. Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt. Mix with the mint and remaining lemon juice and sprinkle over the zucchini.
10. Continue cooking 5 minutes longer.
11. Add the mint (mint is added at the end, because prolonged cooking tends to spoil the taste).

Iraqi Hashwa Meat and Rice Filling, prep time 5 minutes

Fills about 2 lbs. of vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, very finely diced
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 lb. lean ground lamb or beef (I prefer beef)
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. ground cardemom
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients together in a bowl and knead by hand until thoroughly blended. Don't fill the vegetables more than 2/3 full to allow for expansion of the rice.

Turkey Pot-Pie, prep time 15 minutes, cooking time 1+ hour.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots, sliced into 1/4" rounds
• 2 stems celery, diced
• 1 chopped onion
• 1/3 lb. fresh white mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cups frozen artichoke hearts (sub. potatoes or any other white root-veggie)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. dry mustart
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless turkey breast, diced
• 1 cup shelled edamame or English peas
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 Tbsp. each fresh dill and basil
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream (I use whole instead of low-fat, but that's just me)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup plain almond or soy milk
• 1 Tbsp. honey (dark, preferably)

Instructions:

1. Saute the onions for a few minutes until translucent.
2. Quarter the artichokes or other root vegetable, lengthwise. Set the prepared veggies aside.
3. In a large, heavy, ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat. Add the mustard and 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the stock, continuing to whisk to avoid lumps. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
5. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onions. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are softened (@ five minutes).
6. Add the turkey, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, edamame, tomato, dill and basil. Cover and simmer until the turkey is opaque throughout (@ ten minutes).
7. Whisk in the sour cream and season with 1 tsp. of the salt and the pepper. Spoon the mixture into a 9x13" baking dish and set aside (at this point, you can refrigerate this until ready to add the crust).
8. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit (220 C)
9. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, the remaining 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
10. In another bowl, whisk together the soy or almond milk, the 2 Tbsp. olive oil and the honey. Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
11. Pour the batter over the turkey mixture. Bake, uncovered until lightly browned (@ 40 minutes). Let stand for 10 minutes more and serve.