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Ingredients
- Filling:
- 10 small lebanese squash (you can sub zucchini or yellow crookneck)..if you make more than 10 squash, adjust the filling recipe
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 whole allspice kernels, ground (3/4 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups lamb, finely chopped or coarsely ground
- 1 small can tomato sauce, divided
- For the Pot:
- several lamb bones, parboiled and rinsed (optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- reserved tomato sauce
- 1 large can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped with liquid
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 4 whole peppercorns
- 3 cups water
Details
Preparation
Step 1
1. Rinse and drain rice and place in a bowl. Mix in seasonings, half the tomato sauce, a Tbsp lemon juice and the lamb.
2. Parboil the lamb bones, rinse them, arrange them in the bottom of a deep pot and set aside. If unavailable, place a rack on the bottom of the pot upon which to set the squash.
3. Cut off the tops and ends 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 1 1/2 inches of the core by rotating the corer clockwise with your dominant hand and the squash counter-clockwise with your other. As you turn, the marrow will be extruded. Ideally, there will be 1/8 inch thickness of squash around the hollow core. Save the seedy pulp for other dishes. Place cored squash in a bowl of salted water flavored with a clove of garlic until all are cored.
4. Take each cored squash, drain water from its center and gently fill with the lamb and rice mixture, being careful not to crack the shell, to 1/2-inch from the top.
5. Arrange stuffed squash upright in pot over the lamb bones (or rack). Pour in the remaining tomato sauce, the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the additional lemon juice, peppercorns and water. Cover pot, place on stovetop with heat on high until sauce begins to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 1 hour until rice is done, squash is tender and sauce is thick.
6. When serving, cut squash open and pour tomato sauce from the pot over them, to the taste of each individual.
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