Eleanora's Kitchen - Italian Vegetable Herb Stuffing

Italian Vegetable Herb Stuffing

Simple garden vegetables combined with Italian squash cucuzza make this stuffing unique and delicious. Surprisingly full of flavor, each morsel will never taste the same. Make sure you serve this stuffing next to your Turkey this year.

Ingredients: Yields: 6-8 Time: 1 hour 30 min.

1 cucuzza squash (*what is cucuzza?)
½ lb. baby bella mushrooms-diced
1 green zucchini - diced
1 yellow zucchini - diced
¾ lb. fresh asparagus
1 small-medium size black knight eggplant - diced with skin
1 large onion - diced
3 shallots - diced
8 oz. croutons
1-1/2 unseasoned breadcrumbs
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 large eggs
4 tbl. pecorino Romano cheese
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dry basil flakes
1 tsp. dry parsley flakes
1 tsp. imported Italian oregano
fresh basil (coarsely chopped)
fresh flat Italian parsley (coarsely chopped)
salt

Preparing the Vegetables

Cucuzza: Cut the tip with a knife and begin to peel off outer tough skin. Split the cucuzza in half and remove inner core including all seeds. Dice the remaining squash into small cubes.

Asparagus: Trim 1 inch off the bottom stems of the asparagus. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Once cooled, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant: Rinse clean and begin to dice zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant (with skin) into small cubes. Set aside.

In a skillet, add olive oil, diced onion, shallots, and garlic, salt - sauté until onions are translucent - add all chopped vegetables and dry herbs (excluding asparagus). Cook for 5-6 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add chopped asparagus and cook for additional 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs, grated cheese, black pepper, fresh basil and parsley - add mix from skillet and toss. Add 8 oz. or ½ lb. croutons and 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs. Place mix in a rectangular pan and bake at preheated oven of 350 degrees for 1 hour. Broil on high for 2 minutes for a crispy topping. Serve hot.

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