Kousa Mihshi Bi Laban (Stuffed Zucchini With Yogurt)

A delicious dish modified from the Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos, Lebanon/Syria/Jordan section.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 4-5
• Yields: 4-5

Ingredients

• 2  lbs zucchini, even sized (1 kg)
•  cold water
•  sea salt

• Filling

• 1  medium onion, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon  clarified butter or 1  tablespoon  plain butter
• 1  tablespoon pine nuts
• 8  ounces ground beef (250g)
• 1⁄4 cup short-grain rice
• 1  tablespoon  chopped parsley
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
•  sea salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
•  canola oil, if ground beef is lean as needed

• To finish

• 1 1⁄4 cups cold water
•  goats milk yogurt (only or it will curdle) or   stabilized yogurt (only or it will curdle)
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  teaspoon dried mint

Directions

1. Choose either medium or small zucchini. Wash well cut of stem end. Using a corer hollow out zucchini leaving rounded end intact. (I actually use the wrong end of a small spoon and it works for me) Try not to puncture the skin. Soak in salted water for 10 minutes.
2. Gently fry onion in butter until transparent. Add pine nuts after 10 minutes cook with onions for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
3. Add pan contents to ground meat, rice parsley, spice and about a teaspoon of salt, pepper and canola oil if meat is lean.
4. Fill zucchini with stuffing. (The rice expands and the meat will shrink so fill them all the way).
5. Arrange zucchini in layers in a large pot, sprinkling each layer lightly with sea salt. Add water and invert a plate on top of the zucchini and bring to a slow simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until tender.
6. Meanwhile heat the stabilized yogurt. When it begins to simmer/boil, add garlic and boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
7. When zucchinis are cooked, remove plate and pour garlic yogurt mixture over them and leave over medium heat for 10 minutes to boil gently. Cook uncovered until sauce is thick.
8. Crush the dried mint to a coarse powder and sprinkle on top. Leave off the heat for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.
9. Enjoy!