Iraqi Stuffed Zucchini (Cousa Mashi)

UmmBinat's Note:

CW's delicious recipe for our whole family's favorite stuffed vegetables with sauce. Amounts are guesstimates since we don't do to measure but to taste. Not a gorgeous looking dish, but comfort food really.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0

• 8 small baby zucchini (the light green ones)
• 2 medium bell peppers (assorted colours)
• curry powder (Iraqi Curry Powder or Baharat Aka Middle East Mixed Spices - the Real Mix I use both)
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium cooking onion, chopped
• flat leaf parsley, including stems 1 small bunch, chopped
• salt, to taste
• white basmati rice, rinsed and soaked (more rice than meat)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• water
• ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and hollow out baby zucchini's cutting tops off where the stems grow. Put all together in a large pot. Discard innards.
2. Cut tops off bell peppers and remove seeds and membrane. Add to pot. Discard innards.
3. Mix ground beef (CW rinses and drains), white Basmati rice, chopped onion, chopped flat leaf parsley, salt, to taste & curry powder.
4. Stuff each vegetable until just about full pressing to make sure there are no air pockets. Cork each vegetable with stem end cutting to fit if to large. Return each vegetable to the pot in an even layer.
5. Keep remaining filling to side as it will be used in the sauce.
6. Add tomato paste to some water and mix until no lumps remain. Add to pot along with more water until just under the tops of the vegetables, Add some ground black pepper, to taste, salt, to taste, and bring to the boil.
7. Cover and cook until partially done adding remaining filling (it shouldn't be a lot) to surrounding liquid. It should cook into a sauce consistency so add more water if needed. Boil until done.
8. Remove vegetables and arrange on a large platter, spoon sauce around.
9. Enjoy!

Reviews

[WiGal]

Very tasty! I used yellow summer squash instead of zucchini as we prefer it. I soaked the rice while dh and I went for walk so it was a bit over an hour. I decided to cut my pepper shells in half b/c I wanted them to be same height as my squash. I used 1 1/2 cups of rice and that was too much-think 1 cup would have been better. I used 2 teaspoons of Iraqi Curry Powder but wished I had used more but did not want to taste raw meat and rice to figure it out. I placed the stuffed veggies in the largest diameter frying pan I had available. I also simmered for first stage about 45 minutes-b/c I wanted the rice on top to get done at top of veggies I covered pan. Then I added the remaining meat rice mixture and that part I forgot to time. I think that tomato paste should be mixed in with the water so it does not clump in certain spots. Thank you UmmBinat for sharing.