Italian Cucuzza Stew

Submitted by Ntune2food

"I grew up with this recipe. My grandmother would sometimes cook hers without the ground meat and would add a handful of fettucini to the pot."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 -3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups carrots, sliced
• 4 -5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 cucuzza, peeled and cubed
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 cups water
• salt & fresh ground pepper

directions

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet, drain and set aside.
2. In a large dutch oven, add the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic for about 4-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the ground beef to the pot along with the can of whole tomatoes, add the cucuzza, and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered for around 45 minutes or until the squash is cooked.

Reviews

[vermontanainola]

Being new to NOLA, i wanted to try something new from a farm stand. the cucuzza caught my attention being only $2.00 for such a big squash. plenty for several recipe's. i made this stew with hot Italian sausage instead of hamburg.(i used a roll of jimmy dean & made small meatballs like chunks ) I don't like whole tomatoes, so i used diced tomatoes with green chilies. 1 green bell pepper diced, i added about 7 bay leaves, a little rosemary & oregano. simmered about 1hr 1/2 over low served it over penn pasta ,garnished with grated Romano cheese, a side slice of French bread. my husband said i could make it again :-) he kept saying how it's bursting with so many flavors in different directions( prob the closest i got him to Italy with any dish i have ever made him) most def will make this again....the leftover pasta i mixed in for the next day was even yummier as it all had time to season...p.s while the stew was simmering, i made the chocolate cucuzza cake ..... thanks

 

[rosehead852]

Our neighbors gave us a large cucuzza and we had no idea what to do with it. They are from India, but I am more familiar with Italian cuisine and this looked more possible. It was delicious! And my husband loved it, that’s a big hurdle.

 

[jpmonte]

Based on the 5-star rating and reviews, I am making this now...easy recipe (only one pot!) and I wish you could smell the aroma in my kitchen! The only change I made was that I didn't have any thyme in the house; so I used an Italian Seasoning blend of dried herbs, added a few fresh basil leaves and cut the garlic down to 2 large cloves. I will serve it over fried polenta slices and garnish it with grated Parmesan. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!

 

[Madeline Ringer]

I am growing cucuzza in my backyard, never have enough recipes. This one was excellent, I made it this morning while everyone was asleep, only I added homemade red gravy &Italian cheese & I will probably serve it over Pasta. Love getting family recipes & adding my own touch, its fun.

 

[earthformed]

Yesterday I tried this recipe and it was a hit with everyone in the family - even my 2 year old! Like AuntMare mine turned out very juicy but that is just the way we like it. I used ground regular sausage, fresh lemon thyme from my garden and added fennel stalks and fronds (also from the garden). I had run out of tomatoes but had one container of frozen tomatillos and one of tomatoes that added up to the 28 oz and it turned out just great. The only thing I think I would change or add next time is to use chicken/beef stock or broth or at least add boullion to add some richness to the broth. Super yummy, went back for seconds and probably would ahave made myself sick eating it if I didn't control myself. Thanks so much for your grandmother's recipe.