Cookbook:Qarabagħli Mimli (Maltese Stuffed Summer Squash)

Meat filling

 * Oil
 * Butter
 * ½ ea. small onion, finely chopped
 * 500 g minced lean pork
 * 2 rashers rindless smoked back bacon, finely chopped
 * 2 heaped tbsp grated salt-cured cheese (e.g. sheep or goat's milk, or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
 * 1 slice of day old bread, soaked in milk and wrung out
 * 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
 * 2 eggs, beaten
 * Salt
 * Pepper

Ricotta filling

 * 450 g well-drained fresh sheep's milk ricotta
 * 100 g grated Pecorino cheese (Romano type or with peppercorns)
 * 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or marjoram
 * 2 eggs, beaten
 * Salt
 * Pepper

Meat and rice filling

 * 2 cloves garlic, minced
 * 1 cup uncooked round or long-grain rice
 * 1 cup Bolognese-type meat sauce
 * ½ cup water
 * ½ tsp mixed spice
 * 1 large egg, beaten
 * Salt
 * Pepper

Assembly

 * 1 kg zucchini or other firm, large squash
 * 1 cup fresh tomato sauce
 * Dry breadcrumbs or medium-coarse semolina
 * Grated cheese

Optional ingredients

 * Potatoes, sliced medium-thick
 * Onions, sliced
 * Salt
 * Pepper
 * Caraway seed
 * Stock or water

Meat filling

 * 1) Sweat the chopped onion in a mixture of oil and butter.
 * 2) Combine the onion with the minced pork, bacon, cheese, soaked bread, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper.
 * 3) Reserve.

Ricotta filling

 * 1) Combine the ricotta, grated cheese, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper.
 * 2) Reserve.

Meat and rice filling

 * 1) Combine all ingredients together.
 * 2) Reserve.

Assembly

 * 1) Depending on the size of the squash, either cut off a lid and use whole or else cut in half.
 * 2) Carefully scoop out the squash flesh, leaving a 1 cm thick shell or boat to fill. The removed flesh can be diced and added to the filling ingredients if desired.
 * 3) Fill each hollowed squash with some of one of the fillings. Do not fill to the top, as the eggs (and rice if using) will expand.
 * 4) Combine the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Dip the top of each filled squash in the topping ingredients (or sprinkle evenly on top) to help seal the filling in.

Cooking

 * 1) Cook the filled squash in one of the following three ways:
 * 2) * Baking (suitable for all 3 fillings): Place a layer of sliced potatoes and onions in a baking dish. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seed, and moisten with stock. Place the stuffed squash on top. Cover with foil, and bake 30 minutes at 180˚C. Remove the foil and continue baking for about 10-15 minutes to crisp the top.
 * 3) * Pot roasting (suitable for all 3 fillings): Closely pack the stuffed squash in a pot. Fill with water to just over halfway up the squash. Cover with a lid, and cook on medium heat until the squashes are tender and the rice or meat filling cooked through (about 35 minutes).
 * 4) * Simmering (not suitable for ricotta filling): Place carefully-sealed squash in a simmering meat broth (made with root vegetables and meat bones) and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes. You can serve the strained broth as a first course and the vegetables and stuffed squash as a second course.
 * 5) Serve hot.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * For the pot roasting method, you may set the squash on a bed of chopped onion and drizzle with a little olive oil and tomato paste.