Directions: |
Directions:12 small to medium zucchini, about 6-8 inches long
3/4 pound of grass fed ground lamb or beef
3/4 cup of a short grain white rice like Arborio, rinsed
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
The juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Or 2 tsp of dried parsley
2 tablespoons of minced fresh mint
Or 2 tsp of dried mint
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon of salt and black pepper
SAUCE
4 cups of a low sodium broth, (I used chicken)
Or water
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce, low salt
1 14.5 can of low salt, crushed tomatoes, don’t drain
2-5 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of minced fresh mint
Or 2 teaspoons of dried mint
1 teaspoon of cumin
The juice of a lemon
Salt to taste
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
Might as well start with the hard part and core those zucchini. I used a long skinny knife to cut off the stems then gently bore out a core in the middle of them. A long handled ice tea spoon seemed to work best to core them out. Just keep coring them out, like carving a pumpkin till you have the walls to about 1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to poke a hole in them if possible. If you have an apple corer use that. I guess Middle Eastern cooks have a special tool they use that makes it real easy. Use the pulp however you want. I put it in the compost bucket.
Get out a nice deep bowl and mix together all the stuffing ingredients till well blended. (I used my hands for this.) Gently stuff the zucchini with the mixture using your fingers. Don’t overstuff them! Leave room for the rice to expand. Set them aside for now, to await their grand moment.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, while stirring. Then lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors marry. Very carefully float the stuffed zucchini in the broth and simmer, covered, for about 45-50 minutes till the rice and meat is done.
Check occasionally during cooking and if the sauce needs more broth or water, add it. Serve in deep bowls, in some of the hot broth with minced fresh mint and parsley sprinkled on top. Serve with fresh vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks and hummus. Sahtayn! Which is Arabic for “bon appétit,” which translates literally as “two healths to you.” |
This recipe for KOUSA MAHSHI is from