Kusa Mihshi Stuffed Lebanese Squash Cucuzza Koosa Recipes

KUSA MIHSHI - STUFFED LEBANESE SQUASH / CUCUZZA / KOOSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Hollow out each zucchini using a zucchini / apple corer or small, flexible paring knife, leaving 1/8-inch-thick walls.
• Combine lamb, rice, 1 1/4 teaspoons marjoram, 3/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon mint, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Loosely stuff each zucchini with the lamb mixture. Place the stuffed zucchini in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• Combine tomato sauce with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon mint and 1/8 teaspoon allspice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then pour over the zucchini. Cover the pan with foil.
• Bake, turning the zucchini halfway through cooking, until the zucchini and rice are tender and the filling reaches 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve the zucchini with the sauce.

LEBANESE KOOSA (STUFFED YELLOW SQUASH)

Steps:

• Cut stems from squash and scoop out seeds. Because of the small size of the squash, you may twirl a knife in the flesh to scrape the seeds. The most effective method is to take a flat handle silver spoon and use the handle end to scrape out the seeds. You may rinse out the inside with water.
• Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat.
• Slice onion and add to hot olive oil.
• Let fry for about 3-5 minutes while you make the stuffing.
• In a large bowl, combine lamb, rice, and spices. The best method is to get in it with your hands and just smoosh and mix without any sort of utensils.
• Add cans of tomato sauce and diced tomato to the onions.
• Stuff squash with mixture. Leave about a half inch to a quarter inch of room at the end as the rice will expand. Also, do not pack too tightly as the expanding rice will break the squash.
• Add the stuffed squashes to the pan.
• Chop the garlic cloves into fine pieces and sprinkle between the squash in the pan.
• Add water to just cover the squash and let simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes.
• Squeeze a few drops fresh lemon juice over squash and sprinkle a pinch of mint.
• Allow to cook another 10 minutes or so.
• **Note** I have made this several more times and revised only the cooking time slightly. I found it somewhat easier to cut the squashes in half from the start. Additionally, I always test the filling to make sure the rice is fully cooked.

KOOSA MAHSHI (SYRIAN STUFFED SQUASH) RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Soak rice in a bowl to extract some starch, at least 30 minutes, then rinse and drain until water runs clear of starch. Remove squash stems and discard. Use a corer to core inside of squash. Take care not to puncture sides or bottom. For a decorative touch, use a vegetable peeler to remove thin vertical stripes of skin. In a bowl, gently knead together drained rice, ground meat and allspice, plus generous amounts of salt and pepper. Gently fill each squash about three-quarters full with meat-rice mixture. Avoid compressing mixture too much, so rice has room to expand as it cooks. To cook, select a lidded deep pot in which squash will fit snugly, nestled in upright. Line bottom of pot with lemon slices. Arrange squash in pot, upright with opening on top. Add enough water to cover squash, a generous amount of salt and enough lemon juice so mix is distinctly sour as well as salty. If necessary, place a plate over squash to keep them submerged. Cover pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and let simmer 30 minutes. Mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Add to pot along with dried mint. Simmer until rice is fully cooked and squash is tender, 30-45 minutes more. Carefully transfer squash to a serving platter, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. To serve, stir a few tablespoons cooking liquid into yogurt to thin and warm it. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve yogurt sauce alongside squash. Garnish with mint leaves, if you like.