Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato and Mint Broth)

Ingredients

• 12 zucchini, small and stubby
• 300 g ground lamb
• 150 g white rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic, crushed
• 1½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 7 dl passata
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 5 dl water
• 4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. 1.

   Hollow the zucchini — Cut the stems off the zucchini and hollow each one with a corer or a narrow long-handled spoon, turning as you go and leaving walls about 5 mm thick. Stop short of the base — a pierced shell empties itself into the pot. Rinse the hollowed zucchini and stand them upside down to drain.

2. 2.

   Mix the lamb and rice filling — Mix the ground lamb, rinsed rice, onion, garlic, allspice, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with your fingers. Keep the mixture loose and crumbly rather than kneaded — packed filling cooks into a solid plug.

3. 3.

   Fill the shells loosely — Fill each zucchini about three-quarters full, tapping the base gently on the board to settle the filling and pushing it down with your little finger. The rice roughly doubles, so leave it room — overfilled shells split along the side.

4. 4.

   Stand them in tomato broth — Rub the base of a wide heavy pot with the remaining olive oil and stand the zucchini upright, packed tight against each other so they support one another. Whisk the passata, tomato paste, water, remaining salt and half the mint together, pour it down the side until the zucchini are two-thirds submerged, and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

5. 5.

   Simmer under a plate — Set a heatproof plate face down on the zucchini to hold them still, cover the pot and cook on the lowest heat for 45 minutes. The broth should barely tremble; when a skewer slides through a zucchini with no resistance and the rice inside is tender, they are done.

6. 6.

   Finish with lemon and mint — Take the pot off the heat, lift out the plate and stir the lemon juice and remaining mint into the broth around the zucchini. Cover again and leave to stand for 10 minutes so the filling firms up enough to lift out whole.

7. 7.

   Serve in the broth — Lift the zucchini into shallow bowls with a slotted spoon and ladle the tomato and mint broth around them. Serve hot, with bread to catch what is left in the bowl.