The Soyrizo Switch

We headed to Cape Cod with two Very Large Zucchini in our back seat. Mom had mentioned that people in our family didn't really like zucchini, and yet we had two of them and so I considered this a personal challenge. How can I get our family to eat these two zucchini? And LIKE it?!

One of my premises is that people like to eat meat. So if I were to somehow able make the zucchini appear meaty, then maybe people would be willing to try it. And once they tried it, of course they would like it. The other premise is that great big zucchinis are often best stuffed and baked.

To further the challenge to myself and push the limits of zucchini cuisine, I also decided to try something new. Something that I had never tasted or cooked before: Soyrizo. This is a spicy soy sausage that comes in a realistic-looking plastic sheath and is pretty spicy. Now, I am not normally a big fan of "fake meat", but I figured that the whole thing was a gamble anyway. I bought the Soyrizo on the sly, with one Auntie privy to my plan. Everyone who came through the kitchen as I was sautéing and chopping and mixing commented on how good it smelled. "What are you cooking?" they would say. "Sausage" was my response.  

There were about 13 of us for dinner, and it was "salad night" ...  which consisted of a multitude of contributions from the whole family: corn salad, pasta salad, beet salad, green salad, bean salad, etc. And then, as the signature Hot Dish, was Sausage Stuffed Zucchini. It did make quite a nice presentation. The results of my challenge? Everyone tried it ... and liked it! And no one questioned the authenticity of the "meat" at all. It was successful enough that people asked for seconds (and thirds!) and it was eaten all up.

The only downside to the whole experiment was that, upon hearing later that it was Soyrizo, one aunt commented that she wished she had known because she would have eaten more ... as she tries to avoid red meat and sausage. My cousin also commented that he had secretly thought I was a bit hypocritical cooking sausage right after talking about the perils and moral dilemmas of eating meat. So I guess that I really fooled them. 

Soyrizo Stuffed Zucchini

2 large zucchini

1 package soyrizo, removed from casing and crumbled
3 slices wheat bread, crumbled and toasted in a dry pan
2 celery ribs, small dice
1 cup leftover rice
salt & pepper
1 egg
grated Parmesan Reggiano

Slice the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to make a trough. Save some of the scoopings and chop finely to make about 3/4 cup. Salt the zucchinis and let drain for a few hours face-down on a baking rack. Cook the Soyrizo in some olive oil over medium-high heat until it is drier and somewhat crumbly. Add the Soyrizo to the bread crumbs. Sauté the celery and zucchini in the same pan to take advantage of the Soyrizo seasonings left over. Add the celery to the stuffing mixture along with the rice and some grated Parmesan and taste. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Add the beaten egg. Spoon the stuffing into the zucchini halves and sprinkle with additional Parmesan. Bake the zucchini in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft when pierced with a fork and the stuffing is browned. You could add a little water or white wine the the baking dish in the last 15 minutes or so.

Note: garlic and onion would be great sautéed along with the celery. We have a family member who cannot eat them, so they are omitted from the basic recipe.