Kousa Mihshi Bi Laban (stuffed Zucchini With Yogurt)

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs zucchini, even sized (1 kg)
• cold water
• sea salt
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter or 1 tablespoon plain butter
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 8 ounces ground beef (250g)
• 1/4 cup short-grain rice
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• canola oil, if ground beef is lean as needed
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• goats milk yogurt (only or it will curdle) or stabilized yogurt (only or it will curdle)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried mint

Recipe

• 1 choose either medium or small zucchini. wash well cut of stem end. using a corer hollow out zucchini leaving rounded end intact. (i actually use the wrong end of a small spoon and it works for me) try not to puncture the skin. soak in salted water for 10 minutes.
• 2 gently fry onion in butter until transparent. add pine nuts after 10 minutes cook with onions for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
• 3 add pan contents to ground meat, rice parsley, spice and about a teaspoon of salt, pepper and canola oil if meat is lean.
• 4 fill zucchini with stuffing. (the rice expands and the meat will shrink so fill them all the way).
• 5 arrange zucchini in layers in a large pot, sprinkling each layer lightly with sea salt. add water and invert a plate on top of the zucchini and bring to a slow simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until tender.
• 6 meanwhile heat the stabilized yogurt. when it begins to simmer/boil, add garlic and boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
• 7 when zucchinis are cooked, remove plate and pour garlic yogurt mixture over them and leave over medium heat for 10 minutes to boil gently. cook uncovered until sauce is thick.
• 8 crush the dried mint to a coarse powder and sprinkle on top. leave off the heat for 10 minutes before serving. serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.
• 9 enjoy!