CCRC's Lockdown Cookbook

Tatya's Kousa (Stuffed Grey Zucchini)

Preparation time: 30 minutes; cooking time: 1 hour

Submitted by: Bronwen Smith

Background

My daughter's grand mother taught me to make this, who learnt from her grandmother in Jordan.

Original Recipe: Zaatar and Zaytoun and Meche Kousa

Ingredients

• 1 kg of grey zucchini
• 250 g of minced meat lamb or beef
• 1 small onion chopped finely
• 2 tomatoes chopped finely
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 tsp seven spice
• 1 tsp salt
• Small handful parsley chopped finely
• 10-15 mint leaves chopped finely
• 1/4 cup regular olive oil
• 11/2 cup short grain rice
• 1 carton of passata approx 500g
• Extra water if necessary
• 2 lemons juiced
• 3/4 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp of regular olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 tsp dried mint
• Plain yogurt to taste

Instructions

• To prepare the zucchini:

Wash the zucchini well. Remove the tops and set aside so you can close the zucchini with them. Using a corer, scrape out the insides of the zucchini leaving around a half centimetre margin.

• To prepare the stuffing:

Wash the rice and soak in some water for around half an hour. Then drain the rice and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the mince meat, chopped tomatoes, parsley, mint, onion, seven spice, white and black pepper, salt and oil. Mix well and set aside.

• To make the stuffed zucchini:

Prepare a large pot to stack the zucchini in.Take a small handful of the stuffing and gently fill the zucchini leaving around an inch near the top for the cooked rice to expand. Close the ends with the original zucchini tops then stack the zucchini in the large pot. Once you have finished stuffing all the zucchini, add the carton of passata, salt, regular olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and top up with water. Cover with a plate that fits inside the pot and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer. After half an hour of cooking, remove the plate and add the garlic, dried mint and juice of another lemon. Simmer for another half an hour and taste the sauce to see if it needs any seasoning, salt or lemon adjustment.Taste one zucchini to ensure it is done and if you are happy turn the heat off. Serve in a shallow bowl with some of the tomato sauce and plain yogurt.

Notes

• This recipe requires a zucchini corer . Most arabic grocers sell them for a few dollars. I bought mine from the grocer at Eastlakes shopping centre