Couscous, chickpea and zucchini stuffed tomatoes are a sure win
The weather here on my little patch of heaven in southwestern Ohio has played havoc with my tomatoes. All varieties, including grape, hybrid and heirloom tomatoes were growing well until a few weeks ago. Fluctuating air temperatures and not enough/too much rain caused the fruit setting and ripening processes to slow down.
My yellow tomatoes are ripening faster than the red. Less acidic and more mild than their ruby colored cousins, yellow tomatoes lend a subtle flavor when stuffed. Take the recipe I’m sharing today. Couscous, summer herbs, chickpeas and a bit of zucchini are piled into a thick golden shell.
Now if you have a lot of zucchini (that’s a joke for those of us growing zucchini) check out my site, abouteating.com, for stuffed tomatoes using zucchini as the base filling. Such an easy, yet elegant recipe from friend Mary Lee Olinger. Mary Lee’s zucchini stuffed tomatoes are topped with crisp asiago crumbs. Entertainment worthy!
If you’re a betting person, you’d be a sure winner with either the herbed couscous and chickpea stuffed tomatoes or its more sophisticated asiago counterpart.
Couscous, chickpea and zucchini stuffed tomatoes
The filling made a good 4 cups, so take that into account when figuring out how many tomatoes to use, depending upon size. I didn’t hollow the tomatoes out completely, since my goal was to get a little tomato flavor along with each bite of filling.
The hollowed out pulp can be used in salads, salsas, etc.
Go to taste on the herbs – a little more, or less is OK.
Ingredients
5-6 tomatoes, hollowed out – leave a fairly thick shell
1 cup vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup Moroccan couscous
Olive oil
Up to 1 can chickpeas, drained but not rinsed
1/3 cup shallot or red onion, diced small
1/2 cup zucchini, diced small or shredded
2 large cloves garlic, minced – about 1 tablespoon
Handful basil leaves, chopped, plus extra for garnish
Palmful onion or garlic chives, chopped (optional)
Palmful mint, chopped (optional)
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring broth to a boil, remove from heat, stir in couscous and cover. This allows it to steam really fast, in a couple of minutes.
Film a saute pan with olive oil. Add chickpeas, shallot, zucchini and garlic. Cook over medium heat until shallot and zucchini are soft, a few minutes.
Stir in garlic, basil, chives and mint. Cook a minute or so.
Put couscous in large bowl and pour chickpea mixture over. Mix well and add seasonings.
Go ahead and add a little olive oil if you like.
Let cool a bit, then pack into tomatoes.
Garnish and serve.
Gilding the lily
A shower of Romano would be nice on top.
Tips
Couscous filling is good on its own.
Wheat couscous: more than one kind
Moroccan – tiny grains cook super fast.
Israeli/pearl – little pellets take longer to cook than Moroccan.
Lebanese – looks like small peas. Long and slow is preferred cooking method.
Gluten free
Sub in quinoa or millet
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Couscous, chickpea and zucchini stuffed tomatoes recipe
