Jeff Morgan, one of my fantastic wine instructors from the Rudd Center, calls his version of petits farçis “Zucchinius Maximus” (in the cookbook he wrote with his wife, Jodie, The Working Parents Cookbook). His humorous approach made me realize that les petits farcis is a simple, homey dish, nothing to stress out over—just stuffed vegetables—and you can stuff them with anything! I first learned this recipe from a French chef, Kathie Alex, when I assisted her cooking class at Draeger’s years ago. I like to cook the filling (as does François de Mélogue from Simple French Cooking) so that I can drain off some of the fat and so that I can double the filling and freeze half so that making these the next time is even simpler.
When picking out your vegetables buy what’s fresh and local for you. Rounds are easier to stuff, but I like the taste of slender zucchini and tomatoes best. Experiment and discover what you like. A new friend of mine, Anina Belle Gianini, from The Chef’s Wife likes stuffed onions. She’s got a great recipe for these as well.
Les Petits Farçis (Stuffed Summer Vegetables)
serves 4–6; adapted from Kathie Alex and François de Mélogue of SimpleFrenchCooking.com
Ingredients
- 6 or 8 summer squash, tomatoes, or onions to stuff
- olive oil for drizzling, salt + pepper for seasoning
Filling
- olive oil, a splash for cooking and more for drizzling before baking
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 ounces ground lamb (or ground pork or sausage) Montana Highland Lamb
- 8 ounces ground beef Montana Red Devons young beef at Co-Op
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, hand crumbled from about 4 slices of sourdough or ciabatta (hard crust removed) or use cooked rice or other grain like quinoa
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan optional or sprinkle on top before baking
- 1 clove garlic, minced optional
- Italian parsley, minced optional
- tender summer herbs like savory, tarragon, basil optional
- 2 pinches herbes de Provence or dried thyme
- salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 or 2 eggs
Instructions
Blanch the vegetables
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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
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Cut the vegetables either in half lengthwise, across the midline, or slice off just the top for smaller round shapes, reserving the caps. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and reserve. If using tomatoes, scoop out and put aside for another use (I keep a freezer bag of fresh tomato trimmings to use later for soups and stews).
Eggplants are good to use, but they need to be roasted for about 30 minutes at 350° before stuffing.
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Set out a clean kitchen towel for draining the vegetables after blanching. Blanch the vegetables and transfer cut side down onto the towel to drain.
Cook the filling
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Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion about 5 minutes. Chop the reserved inside flesh and add to the pan and cook a few minutes to soften. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
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Add the meats to the pan and cook until crumbled and no longer pink inside. Drain off fat and transfer meat to the mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan (if using), chopped garlic and optional fresh herbs (parsley, etc.). Season with herbes de provence, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Crack in one egg and mix to combine. If it seems dry, add another egg.
Stuff and bake
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Place drained vegetables in a baking dish and stuff each with filling. Sprinkle with Parmesan (if desired), drizzle with a little olive oil, replace any caps if you have them, and bake for 30 minutes.
