Kousa (Squash Stuffed with Lamb and Rice)
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
- 3 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
- 4 small zucchini squash (7″–8″ long)
- ¾ pound very lean ground lamb
- ½ cup rice
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Prepare tomato sauce first: Combine tomatoes, onion, water, salt, pepper, and fresh mint in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Scrub squash and dry with paper towels. Remove stem ends of each squash and carefully core center, leaving about ¼″ of shell.
Make stuffing: thoroughly mix ground lamb, rice, pine nuts, salt, allspice, and pepper.
Spoon stuffing into each squash, tapping bottom end of squash to get stuffing down. Fill each squash to top; stuffing should be loosely packed to allow rice to expand while cooking.
Place squash in tomato sauce, lying them on their sides. Bring sauce to a slow boil; cover and cook over low heat for 45–60 minutes, or until squash is tender and rice has cooked. Serve squash with tomato sauce spooned over top.
PER SERVING: Calories: 430 | Protein: 27g | Carbohydrates: 36g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 82mg Sodium: 692mg | Fiber: 5g | PCF Ratio: 25-33-42 | Exchange Approx.: 3 Lean Meats, 1 Starch, 3 Vegetables, 3 Fats
Summer Harvest
Kousa (stuffed squash) is a traditional Lebanese dish that uses a pale green summer squash very similar to zucchini. This squash is not always easy to find, but zucchini is very abundant and works quite well. If you have a large garden crop of zucchini: Pick them small, hollow out the squash, blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, then freeze. You'll have squash ready to stuff all year long.
