Stuffed Zucchini
Kusa Mahshi
Region: Arab Levant
Category: Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

In the Arab world, the stuffing of vegetables has its roots in the cookery of the early Islamic empire of the Abbasids in Baghdad, possibly learned from the Persians. Ottoman chefs perfected the stuffing of vegetables, and today nearly everything that can be stuffed is stuffed from artichokes to zucchini. This version of stuffed zucchini is one way they do it in the Levant. Sometimes the stuffing is made only with rice. Another variation made with stuffed zucchini is to poach them in yogurt. You may also see the dish transliterated as "koosa mashy."

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 5 servings
Preparation Time: 4 hours in all

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 pounds ground lamb

1 tablespoon bahārāt

1 teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup medium-grain rice, rinsed well or soaked in water to cover for 30 minutes and drained

1/2 cup very finely chopped onions

3 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh parsley

6 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh mint

Juice from 1 small lemon

10 small zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds), ends trimmed

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook the ground lamb, stirring occasionally, with the bahārāt, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the drained rice, onions, parsley, 3 tablespoons of the mint, and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and season with salt.

2. Hollow out the zucchini using a zucchini corer, making sure you do so carefully so as not to puncture the skin. (Save the zucchini pulp, if desired, for making zucchini fritters). Stuff the zucchini, but not too tightly as the rice will expand while cooking.

3. Cover the bottom of a 10-inch stew pot with a drizzle of the remaining olive oil and pack the stuffed zucchini tightly and neatly in the stew pot inn layers. Sprinkle each layer with some of the remaining mint and lemon juice, salt, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Finish the top layer with the olive oil, mint, and lemon juice and dash of salt. Invert a heavy plate on top of the zucchini to press them down.

4. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the stuffed zucchini are tender, 2 to 3 hours. Test for doneness after 2 hours by tasting one of the ends of the zucchini. If the rice is cooked, it is done, otherwise continue cooking.

Posted: 11/20/2007

Needed Recipes:

Baharat-Mixed Spices for Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian Cooking

Related Recipes:

Stuffed Zucchini