Sounded like a good idea to me! I checked through my collection of Marcella's books. (Yes, I have them all, and have been cooking from them since her "Classic ITalian Cookbook" was published in, whoa, 1973.) I found several stuffed zucchini recipes in there that, along with her Facebook suggestion, gave me a basis for construction. Then I came up with my own recipe, a bit lighter and lower-cal, to maximize the freshness of just-picked garden veggies.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1 cup strong chicken stock
2 large zucchini
6 fresh San Marzano tomatoes, if available, or plum tomatoes, enough to make about 3 cups chopped.
4 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces ground lamb (locally produced pastured lamb if available)
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
PREPARATION
1. Cook the rice in the chicken stock until it is al dente. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Cut the zucchini in half crosswize to make four shorter pieces, then cut each piece in half lengthwise to make eight "boats." I carefully trimmed a little skin off the bottom of each to make a flat base, although you could probably get by without this. Using a teaspoon, I scooped out the center of each. (Reserve the removed zucchini for another use - it makes a good risotto.)
3. Chop the onion and green pepper fairly fine.
4. Using about half of the olive oil, sautee about half of the onion and green pepper until translucent; then add the lamb and cook, breaking it up into small pieces, until browned. Let it cool a little, and stir in the cooked rice, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Stuff the rice and lamb mix into the zucchini "boats," pressing it down firmly so it stays packed.
6. Choose a skillet large enough to hold all the zucchini "boats" in one layer. Put in the rest of the olive oil and the rest of the onions and green peppers. Cook unti translucent, then put in the stuffed zucchini, cooking the bottoms until they start to brown.
7. Pour the chopped tomatoes around the zucchini, adding a little water or chicken stock. If you had any lamb and rice stuffing left over, stir it in with the tomatoes.
8. Cover and cook over low heat until the zucchini are tender but still firm, about 20 minutes.
We served it with a Sicilian red wine, Hauner 2007 Salina IGT, a Nerello Mascalese and Nero d'Avola blend from Chambers Street Wines, but it would work well with any food-friendly, dry Italian red - a Chianti, Toscano Rosso or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for example.