Ingredients
For the zucchini:
- 8 medium zucchini, lightly peeled so that the zucchini looks striped, and cored. Leave ¼-inch-thick shell all around the cored center of the zucchini
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 cup rice (not precooked), soaked in hot water for 1 hour, and then drained
- 1 tsp Arabic allspice (available in specialty or spice stores)
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 4 Tbsp tamarind sauce
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
- 8 dried Turkish apricots
- 8 dried pitted prunes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the ground beef, rice, allspice and salt with your hands and stuff the mixture into the center of the zucchini so that it is 3/4 full. (You can keep the raw, stuffed zucchini in the freezer until you are ready to cook them.)
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Sear the stuffed zucchini over medium heat until they brown a bit. Place the browned, stuffed zucchini in a baking dish.
- Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the zucchini and bake, covered, until juices have cooked down and meat is tender, about 2 hours.
Notes
- You can keep the raw, stuffed zucchini in the freezer until you are ready to cook them (see Step Two).
- Tamarind sauce is available in speciality stores.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sephardi