Bacon Wrapped Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

A few weeks ago, the good wife told me about a recipe one of her friends had been talking about.  That recipe was for a stuffed zucchini with the stuffing being primarily cheese.  It sounded OK but my preference for things stuffed with cheese pretty much ends at ravioli or tortellini.  I'm not even a fan of cheese stuffed jalapenos but that's a story for another day.  It's been quite some time since I'd done a stuffed zucchini, mostly due to the fact that it's hit or miss with finding zucchini at the store that isn't beat up.  I was doing my shopping the other day and found 3 zucchini that were on the small side but looked good and were in good condition.  I actually bought them with the intention of stuffing them with something.

Bacon wrapped stuffed zucchini and pork chops just on the grill

Once I had the zucchini home, the issue became when to fix them for supper.  It then lead to what to have with it.  I wanted something that could be done outside since it's pretty hot right now and I'd rather not heat the kitchen more than necessary. I settled on smoked pork chops and fried okra.

Smoked and ready to take inside

So without further ado, here is the recipe.

Bacon Wrapped Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

2 large or 3 smaller zucchini
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped approximately 1/4 inch dice
4 oz grated Cotija cheese
1 medium red onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
cumin
splash of brandy or Irish whisky (optional)
8 - 12 slices of bacon

Heat a skillet with some oil to medium heat.  Put in the diced onion and garlic and cook until just starting to turn translucent.  Add the chopped mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.  Let the mushrooms cook down until most of the moisture they release has cooked away.  If using, add the brandy or whisky so it cooks down as well.  While the mushrooms are cooking, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed bearing part.  Once the mushrooms are done, transfer into a bowl and add the grated Cotija cheese and stir.  Divide the mushroom mixture between the zucchini halves ensuring the zucchini are well filled.  Once all the zucchini are filled, wrap them in bacon.  Each zucchini should take two slices of bacon to be completely covered.  Place the bacon wrapped zucchini on a grill with indirect heat and add whatever wood you prefer for smoking.  Smoke at 250 - 275F for 20 - 30 minutes until the bacon is done and the desired color is reached.  Once done, serve and enjoy. 

A fine tasty supper, everything cooked outside

Any mushroom you like can be used in this and I think shitake mushrooms would be very good but the baby bellas are what the store had when I picked them up.  If you don't have or can't find Cotija cheese you could use some good Parmesan, Romano, or a nice Grana instead. 

Cross section

If you don't have a grill or don't want to fool with the grill these can be done in the over just as easily.  I'd put them on a baking rack over a cookie pan and bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes.  This should leave the bacon browned but chewy and the zucchini with still a little bite to it.  If you want the bacon crisp and the zucchini soft then increase the time.  If you bake them, keep an eye on them because this is just an estimate based on experience with my oven.  Your oven my vary.

This would do well as a side with any protein you choose.  I almost did grilled salmon but changed my mind and pulled pork chops out of the freezer instead. 

Give these a try and let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Sprouted Rice and Quinoa Mushroom Soup

Soup is one of the things that the good wife could eat at any time.  So if I was ever at a loss for ideas of what to fix for supper I could always make a soup and she'd be happy.  Once the weather turns cooler I like to add more soups to the nightly meals.  Of course, the way we do it soup is the meal rather than a warm up for the main meal.  Using the pressure cooker helps speed things up when making soup, especially when incorporating dried beans.


We eat mushrooms frequently.  So much so that I've contemplated setting up a system to grow our own.  Sometime ago I was looking at recipe suggestions I'd gotten via email and came across a Wild Rice Mushroom Soup recipe.  That sounded like an excellent use of mushrooms so I started researching.  In the end I combined parts of several recipes and did my own thing.

A pot full of mushroom goodness

This recipe can be changed to suit your tastes and dietary preferences.  I added some diced Kassler, a German ham, since I wanted meat with it and used chicken broth for the liquid.  Leaving out the ham and using a vegetable broth would make this a good vegetarian soup.  You could also change the types of mushrooms used to change the flavor profile as well.  Another change for the vegetarians would be to substitute soy or almond milk for the heavy cream.  See, it doesn't take many changes to have a completely different soup.


Sprouted Rice and Quinoa Mushroom Soup


2 cups sprouted rice and quinoa
1 box + 1 cup chicken broth
1 lb baby bella mushrooms, chopped with stems removed
1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
1 leek, halved and thinly sliced
2 -3 Tbs butter
3 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbs tomato powder or tomato paste
1 cup dry/semi-dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs flour
olive oil
fresh ground pepper
salt
8 - 10 oz ham, diced (optional)

If using an electric pressure cooker, put the two cups, using the rice measuring cup that came with the pressure cooker, of sprouted rice and quinoa in the pot and add the box of  chicken broth.  Set the timer for 10 - 12 minutes.  If using a regular pot, cook time will be according to package instructions using 1.5 cups of the sprouted rice and quinoa.  Place the shiitake mushrooms in a 2 cup measuring cup and cover with 1.5 cups of boiling water.  Once they are soft, pull the shiitakes out and dice them and reserve the water they were soaked in.   In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil.  When hot, add the garlic, leek, chopped baby bella mushrooms, and tomato paste.  Once the mushrooms have released their liquid, add the chopped shiitake mushrooms.  Sprinkle the flour over everything and cook until the flour starts to brown and stick to the skillet.  Add the wine, 1 cup broth, reserved shiitake soaking liquid and stir until thickened.  Add the contents of the skillet to the pot with the sprouted rice and quinoa in broth and stir to combine.  Stir in the heavy cream and soy sauce then add salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer for 30 minutes for all flavors to combine.  Optional, once the sprouted rice and quinoa are cooked, add the diced ham to the broth to heat or lightly brown it in a skillet before adding it.  Serves 4 - 6 people.

A nice bowl of Sprouted Rice and Quinoa Mushroom Soup

This soup is rich and thick with wonderful umami from the mushrooms.  The addition of the ham ups the flavor and satisfies those like Uncle T that think you have to have some meat with supper.  Best of all, using the pressure cooker it is quick to make.

Give this soup a try some cold evening and I think you'll be pleased.

Uncle T