Kousa Mahshi Stuffed Marrows Recipes

Steps:

• Hollow from one end of the marrows with an apple corer or a small spoon leaving about 1/4 inch thick shell all around.
• Wash them thoroughly and dry.
• To make the stuffing, mix the ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl, add a little oil, 1/2 tsp allspice and season with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the marrows upto three-quarters full (do not fill to the brim as the mixture will expand when cooking and leak out).
• In a large casserole or saucepan, first oil the base, then place the sliced tomatoes at the bottom of the pot.
• Sprinkle crushed garlic on top and then layer the stuffed marrows.
• Season with remaining half of the spices and oil.
• Mix the tomato paste with the vegetable stock and pour into the pot to cover the stuffed marrows.
• Cover the marrows with a plate or something similar to hold them down lightly to keep them in place while cooking so the stuffing doesn't run out.
• Put the pot to cook on high heat and bring it to a boil.
• When it comes to boil, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
• Uncover and simmer to thicken sauce, if needed.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• Wash the zucchini and slice off the stem end. With a long, narrow apple or vegetable corer (they are long and thin and you find them in Arab markets), make a hole at this end of each vegetable and scoop out the pulp, being careful not to break the skin and not to break through the other end, which must remain closed. This is done by digging in gently and giving a sharp quick twist before pulling out the pulp. It is a skill that is acquired with a little practice. Keep the pulp for a stew or salad.
• Prepare the filling in a bowl. Fill each zucchini two-thirds full only, to allow room for the rice to swell. There is no need to block the openings.
• Lay a few thin slices of tomato in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan. Place the stuffed zucchini side by side in layers on top of the tomatoes. Mix the tomato paste with 1 1/4 cups water and the juice of 1 lemon and pour over the zucchini. Add more water if necessary to cover the zucchini. Cover the saucepan and simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, or until the zucchini are soft.
• Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt. Mix with the mint and the remaining lemon juice, sprinkle over the zucchini, and continue cooking for a few minutes longer. The mint is added at the end, because prolonged cooking tends to spoil the taste.
• For Syrian stuffed zucchini with tamarind, add 2-3 tablespoons tamarind paste (see page 46) and 2 tablespoons sugar to the 1 1/4 cups water and bring to the boil, stirring, until the tamarind is dissolved.
• Iranians favor the filling with yellow split peas on page 313, and serve the zucchini topped with yogurt.
• For mahshi cousa bi banadoura, cook the zucchini in the following tomato sauce: Fry 1 large chopped onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until golden. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, and when it begins to color add 1 pound peeled and chopped tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.