One thing that I will miss once we’ve left Perth for the UK in a couple of months is the 10km jog stroke walk that Mr. Scrummy and I diligently do around the beautiful river here in the city early every Saturday morning. I’ll let you imagine how much running vs. walking we do, but in any case there are great paths to run stroke walk on, provided that you can dodge the bikes zipping past so fast that I think they must be training for the Tour de France. There’s also a good collection of birdlife such as black swans and flocks and flocks of scraggy-looking birds called shags and nine times out of ten it’s beautifully sunny, albeit a little chilly when we first set off. Really, what more could a guy and gal out in the open air ask for?
In my last post I told you all about my short but sometimes interesting little wander from home to the local supermarket. Well, just like this, on our weekly jog stroke walk around the river we sometimes come across some surprising sights. No word of a lie, one time as we approached what we assumed was a wedding party gathered in a big open tent, who should we spot giving a speech as we got closer but Richard Branson! Right there at that moment at a random spot along the river bank in Perth Australia. Amazing. We stopped and listened for a moment, of course, and were treated to a couple of Richard’s jokes and down-to-earth bantering with his staff. Who would have thought it?
This is also a great place for people-watching. Most people are doing pretty ‘normal’ things for this spot such as cooking breakfast on the public BBQ grills dotted alongside the paths, tying up balloons in wooden shelters in preparation for birthday parties for family or friends or feeding the swans (erm … should I tell them a swan can break a child’s arm??)
But there have also been a few curious sights. Occasionally we see one of those bikes that you peddle while lying horizontally, which always makes me smile a bit. There was also the time that we saw a man jogging past in what looked like a woman’s sports bra-like running top. To reduce wind resistance, maybe? To reduce sweating? Very curious indeed. But possibly the icing on the ‘curious sights around the river’ cake was the couple we saw last week. A man was walking in front of a lady and as we passed he said ‘Come on, dear’ or something along those lines. Nothing strange about this, except for the fact that the lady was wearing a woolly hat pulled right down over her face so that she couldn’t see. There were no holes in the hat, just a couple of ‘eyes’ made out of material stuck onto the front! I wish I had a picture to show you. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything more ridiculous!
Finally, I’d better admit that we possibly add to the curious sights ourselves. Or Mr. Scrummy does, anyway. He insists on wearing footwear that he calls ‘monkey shoes’ which are a sort of barefoot running shoe that fits onto your feet almost like a glove. Hmmm … now the less said about those the better.
Now there is absolutely no connection between this little description and the turkey & zucchini ‘parmigiana’ dish that I’m about to tell you about other than the fact that the inspiration for it came to me suddenly while on this weekly little outing. All those bizarre sights obviously got the creative juices flowing.
Once again, this is an incredibly easy dish that is really just sausage-shaped meatballs made of turkey mince with grated zucchini and herbs, all baked on top of a tomato sauce and topped with melted cheese and fresh basil. A bit like a chicken parmigiana dish but with a twist, if you like. The first time I made it I used a jar of supermarket tomato sauce, so the whole dish was super quick and easy to make. This way is certainly fine, especially if you’re short of time, but I made this a second time using my own homemade marinara sauce and the dish was lifted up to a whole new level. You can always do what I did and make the sauce the day before. Even better if you make a double batch so that you have plenty left over for pizzas or just plain marinara dipping sauce another time.
There are a couple of other things to note here, and then you’re ready to get into the kitchen and start cooking! You need to take a few extra moments to squeeze some of the moisture out of the grated zucchini before adding it to your meatball mixture so that it isn’t too ‘sloppy’. You also need to chill the mixture for at least half an hour or so so that it’s easier to shape into the sausage-shaped pieces. Finally, I found that it was much better to brown the meatballs for a few minutes than to just put them straight into the oven to bake. They are quite soft and delicate but I found that by shaping them in my hands, placing them straight into a hot pan, carefully rolling them so that they brown on all sides then carefully lifting them into the baking dish with a fish slice they survived just fine.
The first time, I reserved a little of the tomato sauce to pour over the top of the meat a few minutes before the end of cooking with all the cheese on top of that. The second time, I actually forgot to do this and just put the cheese straight down the middle of the meat. The choice really is yours. For the sake of aesthetics I also arranged the meat in just a single row down the centre of my baking dish. This ends up feeding only 2 to 3 people if baked in a medium-sized baking dish so what you could do if you’re feeding more is use a larger dish and turn the meat the other way around so that you can fit more in. You can even shape the meat and zucchini mixture into meatballs rather than sausage-shaped logs if you prefer. The taste of course would be exactly the same.
I’ll leave you with the recipe and a question. What are the most curious sights you’ve ever seen while out and about? Come on now, give me a little giggle!
Turkey & zucchini ‘parmigiana’
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 1 pound minced turkey
- 2 medium-sized zucchini coarsely grated
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- a little olive oil for searing the meatballs
- 28 ounces quantity of homemade or jarred tomato sauce about 1 can tomato sauce (I used my own recipe for homemade marinara sauce)
- grated cheese & fresh basil leaves for scattering over the top
- toasted bread and fresh salad leaves to serve optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Put the minced turkey into a large bowl. Extract some of the moisture out of the zucchini by blotting it with kitchen paper, then add the squeezed-out zucchini to the bowl as well.
- Put the garlic, onion, herbs, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper into a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the mixture to the turkey along with the egg and mix well. Chill the mixture for at least half an hour in the fridge.
- Heat up a skillet/frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in it. Meanwhile, pour a good layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of your dish.
- Shape tablespoons of the mixture into sausage-shapes with your hands. Place them carefully in the hot pan and sear them on all sides for a couple of minutes. Remove them carefully with a metal slice and place them in one or two rows down the centre of your baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Then pour a little more tomato sauce over the top of the meat and sprinkle plenty of cheese over the top of that. Bake for another 3 or 4 minutes until the cheese is melted. Scatter with plenty of fresh basil just before serving.
Notes
to whizz together all of my onions, garlic and herbs. My favourite new kitchen toy!Nutrition
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Irene @ How To WIn Cooking Contests says
Have been searching for some creative ways to use up the still abundant seemingly never-ending zucchini my Mom keeps giving me. Will be making this tonight. Wish me luck!
Helen says
Hello, Irene! Thanks so much for passing by and for giving this recipe a go. I would imagine that you’ve made it by now – how did it go?? 🙂
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I love anything parmigiana so I’m all over this!
Helen says
Thanks so much, Tina! 🙂
Sarah & Arkadi says
yum! this dish is both light and comforting!
Helen says
Thank you! Glad you think so! 🙂
[email protected] says
Wow this is some unique recipe! Love the way you made it and that turkey and zucchini combo – to die for!!
Helen says
Thanks so much, Ami! 🙂
Allison says
Richard Branson!? That is so cool! I’m almost positive you have the most fascinating life of anyone I know!!! You should have invited him over for this AMAZING looking meal. I always enjoy a baked italian dish like this with extra tomato sauce. One of my favourite things to eat, actually! Helen, you rock!
Helen says
Don’t worry, Allison, I don’t have a more interesting life than most, I just scrape the depths of my experiences to come up with something for my posts! It really is amazing what I can remember when I do that … things from absolutely years ago!
Now why didn’t I think of asking Richie around for dinner? I will have to remember that next time! 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
I love this! What a great way to use up zucchini, and so healthy too! I can’t wait to try this!
Helen says
Thanks so much, Annie. It’s enough to make me start growing my own, though, because zucchini are so expensive right now over here (winter and all that …)
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
This recipe sounds delicious! Great way to use up all those zucchini’s I have in the garden. Yum!
Helen says
Thanks, Natalie! 🙂
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
OMG this recipe is completely insanity!!!! But of the best kind, of course! My mouth is watering. I have to try this like right now!!! Delicious
Helen says
I have to admit it was a tasty one, Olivia! Hope you do give it a try!
[email protected] Olives & Garlic says
I’ve never tried zucchini parmegiana but I can only imagine how delicious this must be. Looking forward to making this.
Helen says
Thank you, Kathy! If you do make it, I really hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Zainab says
making my favorite dish healthy is surely a way to my heart!! Love love these!!
Helen says
Thanks, Zainab! So happy to have touched your heart!!
Ashley says
People watching is one of my favorite things to do! It’s always so entertaining 🙂
And this looks awesome – I can just imagine eating a bunch of it with some crusty bread! Yum!
Helen says
It’s great with fresh Italian bread! 😉
Mariana @The Candid Kitchen says
10 Km, Wow! I am pretty happy nowadays with running for a mile without collapsing on the floor out of breath. I love this dish, and if I do manage to do an extra mile I will treat myself for an extra layer of parmesan on top.
Helen says
Hahahaha! Well, I did say we do a walk stroke run – there is definitely more walking than running, but I guess it’s still good exercise. I give you permission to put extra parmesan on top, Mariana. 😉
Isadora @ she likes food says
People watching is one of my favorite things to do! I bet you have so many interesting people to watch! This turkey zucchini parmigiana looks so good and I bet my husband would even love it, which is always a plus! The melted cheese on top looks amazing and is making my mouth water as I am typing this!
Helen says
Yes, hubby-pleasing dishes are definitely a bonus. Mine loved this, too! Glad to have made your mouth water, Isadora!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu says
What a great dinner idea – looks so delicious!
Helen says
Thank you so much, Jessica!
Shashi @ runninsrilankan(dot)com says
I must say I love people watching – but I don’t think I’ve come across anyone as entertaining as the folks yall have seen – but I am curious – I goolged “stroke walk ” but couldn’t figure it out…so please please share with me the method to yalls “stroke walk “!
Btw, this is a gorgeous gorgeous dish – so much color and that rosemary and mint must have smelt wonderful married with all the other ingredients!
Helen says
Hehehe … by ‘run stroke walk’ I meant run/walk i.e. we walk more than we run!! Must be an English English-American English thing, Shashi!! Sorry about the confusion!
Thanks so much for the compliment on the dish … it was indeed really tasty, especially the second time with the homemade sauce. Yum yum. 🙂
Louisa [Living Lou] says
Oh I just love people watching, Helen! That sounds like a wonderful spot to see all sorts of different folks. You’ll have to find an equally interesting people watching spot in the UK. Great recipe as always, and I’ve already heard from friends with gardens that they are swimming in zucchini!
Helen says
Ooh, I wish I had some friends like that! Enjoy! You’re right, we will have to find a good people-watching spot in the UK! So happy you like the recipe, Louisa. This was one of my favourite home-cooked meals in a long time.