Kabak oturtma might sound intimidating if you’ve never done it before. The name alone is a mouthful. But believe me, this dish is easier than it looks. Traditional Turkish home cooking, sophisticated enough for guests but simple enough for a Tuesday night. Start with zucchini. Next, prepare the tasty filling. Finally, bake it until everything melts together. The result is a creamy, cheesy, aromatic dish that can be served as a main course or side dish.
what do you need?
No exotic materials required. Most of them are probably in your kitchen right now. Here’s the exact list to make four servings:
4 medium-sized zucchini
1 large dry onion
2 garlic cloves
* 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil (or olive oil if you prefer)
300g of low-fat minced meat
* 2 medium-sized green peppers
* 1/2 tsp tomato paste
1.5 cups of hot water
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* Black pepper
nutmeg
For the topping, you will need:
* 2 large tomatoes
* 4 sprigs of parsley
* 0.5 cup of shredded cheese (specifically Kassari or similar melted cheese)
How to cook zucchini
The trick here is cutting. You don’t dice zucchini. You are peeling it in stripes. Alternately leaving the skin on and removing the skin. This creates a nice visual pattern while cooking. After the zucchini is peeled, slice the zucchini into thick rings.
During this time, chop the onion. Cut the garlic into rings. Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them into small pieces. Slice the tomatoes in the same way. Keep these aside. You will use them later.
Cooking the Meat Filling
Heat the oil in a large pan. Sunflower oil works best here because of the neutral flavor, but olive oil adds a nice fruity note. Add onion and garlic. Fry until translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Don’t rush this step. You want your onions to be sweet, not brown.
Add minced meat. Break it up with a spatula. Cook it until it loses its pink color and the water evaporates. This is very important. If the meat is wet, the filling will be soupy. When the meat is dry and brown, add chopped green peppers and tomato paste.
Mix everything together. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Nutmeg adds warmth and goes perfectly with zucchini. By adding a small amount of hot water, the flavors will mix more easily. Cook until the mixture thickens. It should be moist but not runny. Turn off the heat.
Assemble and bake
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature is the key. Cook the zucchini without burning the cheese on top.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil it. Arrange the zucchini rings in a single layer. Do not overlap them. They need room to breathe.
