Cousa Mashi Arabic Stuffed Zucchini
Cousa mashi is what you serve the guests you like the most. A bit time consuming to make, but the results are worthwhile. While it is called cousa mashi, you should include some small eggplants and a couple green peppers for variety and to make the sauce taste amazing. Cousa is a squash like zucchini but lighter in color. You could substitute zucchini for cousa. The size for the vegetables should be from 4 to 5 inches long. The recipe comes from my jordanian mother-in-law, who is renown for her wonderful cooking. In this part of the world, a generous person is also generous with the right spices.
Steps
Soak the rice in warm water for at least 1 / 2 an hour.
Drain rice and mix together with ground meat , spices and olive oil.
Cut the tops off of the cousa and eggplant.
Discard.
Core cousa and eggplant scraping out the insides so 1 / 4 inch is left all around.
Carefully cut tops of off green peppers so they can be replaced after stuffing.
Clean insides of green peppers.
Stuff vegetables with rice mixture leaving some room for the rice to expand when cooked.
Fill large pot with vegetables.
Cut tomatoes to fill blender.
Add 2 / 3 blender with water.
Add tomato paste and salt.
Mix in blender until smooth.
Pour tomato sauce over vegetables.
Add more water if necessary to cover vegatables.
Cook , uncovered , at a simmer for one and a half hours or until vegetables are soft and rice is done.
As long as the sauce is there , you can cook slowly for a longer period for a tastier dish.
Occasionally cover with additional water to keep sauce from drying out.
Add crushed garlic .
Ingredients
short-grain rice, ground beef, salt, pepper, allspice, turmeric, olive oil, saffron, zucchini, eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, water, tomato paste, garlic cloves, dried mint