Stuffed Zucchini: The Lebanese Way
By: housewifeindubai
Published: Saturday, August 7, 2010 - 12:16am

Ingredients




small zucchinis (8 to serve 3 people)
A corer (see picture below, you can also use an apple corer)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 diced tomatoes
2 chopped onions
1 garlic clove
1/2 kilogram minced meat
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups of water
2 tablespoons Pomegranate molasses, also called Dibs el Rimman (it is not a necessary ingredient, but it gives it extra flavor)
salt, pepper and cinnamon powder

Preparation

1 Cut the ends off the zucchinis and core them, it's ok if you get cracks and holes, it just needs practice :) 2 Start preparing the filling, which is the meat. Put 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a big frying pan and start frying the finely chopped onions until caramelized, then add the minced meat. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon ( optional ). 3 Once meat is cooked, set aside. In another smaller pan, heat the olive oil and fry pine nuts until golden brown. Then add on top of cooked meat and mix together. 4 Preheat the rest of the vegetable oil and fry the cored zucchinis until golden brown and wrinkly. 5 Using your finger as a driver, stuff the zucchini with meat,pushing the meat down with your pinkie to make sure the zucchini is full. Repeat until all zucchinis are stuffed. 6 Preparing the red sauce: add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a pot and fry the garlic. Add the tomato paste and water, keep stirring until boiled. Season with salt and pepper. You can add more tomato paste if the sauce is too light. 7 Add the Pomegranate molasses to the red sauce, the stuffed zucchinis and the remaining meat filling. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. 8 Serve with rice and enjoy :) 9 P.S: you can find Pomegranate molasses at a middle eastern grocery store.

About


It's a famous lebanese dish, to be served with rice or yogurt.