Lamb-stuffed Zucchini With Yoghurt Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 12 medium zucchini, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb or 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 3 teaspoons allspice
• 3 teaspoons crumbled dried mint
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly
• 3 cups greek yogurt (strained, thick)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in
• 4 tablespoons cold water

Recipe

• 1 cut off and reserve the stem ends of the zucchini and, with a corer, hollow out zucchini, being careful not to pierce skins and leaving ¼ inch thick shells.
• 2 chop zucchini flesh and reserve.
• 3 heat oil over moderately-high heat until hot but not smoking and saute lamb with allspice and mint and season to taste.
• 4 cook, stirring, until no longer pink.
• 5 transfer lamb with a slotted spoon to a sieve to drain.
• 6 pour off all but 1 tblsp fat from skillet and saute onion until softened.
• 7 stir in garlic, reserved zucchini, season to taste, and saute until golden.
• 8 remove from heat; stir in lamb, pine nuts and 6 tblsps of yoghurt.
• 9 let cool.
• 10 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 11 stuff zucchini with this mixture, putting stem ends back on and securing them with toothpicks.
• 12 arrange zucchini in a large, oiled casserole, tent with foil, and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until tender.
• 13 let cool slightly.
• 14 whisk together remaining yoghurt with cornstarch/water mixture and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened.
• 15 cool slightly.
• 16 serve with zucchini.