Back to Recipe Index

Power4Health Home

Recipes from www.Power4Health.org

LEBANESE SQUASH STUFFED WITH RICE
(Kousa mihshi siyeme)

10 small Lebanese squash, kousa, or zucchini.
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and processed (optional)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bunch mint, finely chopped (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 can tomato sauce
2 stalks celery with tops, diced
1/4 cup lemon juice

• In a bowl, mix together rice, beans, seasonings and chopped greens.
• Cut off the tops of the squash and core them carefully so as not to crack them or pierce the bottom.
• Gently insert a corer and remove the first inch and a half of the core by rotating the corer clockwise with one hand and the squash counter clockwise with the other. As you turn, the marrow will be extruded. Ideally, there will be 1/8-inch thickness of squash around the hollow core.
• Place cored squash in a bowl of salted water flavored with a clove of garlic until all squash are cored.
• Fill with the rice mixture to 1/2 inch from top and arrange stuffed squash upright in a pot, propped against one another.
• Cover with diced tomatoes with their liquid, a little olive oil, lemon juice and one cup water.
• Cover and bring to boil over high heat on the stovetop, then lower heat and simmer approximately 45 minutes, until rice is done, squash is tender and sauce is thick.
• Split each squash or kousa in half on individual plates and pour on a little sauce. Serve hot with pita bread and fresh-cut vegetables.