Because much of my mother ’s side of the family came from Damascus , Syria , I grew up eating many traditional Syrian foods . One of them — sometimes spelled “ cousa , ” “ kousa , ” or “ koosa”—is a minor specialty squash racquets stuffed with a mixture of meat , spice and Elmer Leopold Rice and dressed with cooked tomatoes .
Just as there are multiple spellings for the dish , there are even more incarnations of the formula itself .
Some cooks make cousa with lamb . Others use ground squawk . I decided to make a vegetarian version with meat backup man . And , although I try my best to judge the recipe my grandma might ’ve used , that proved foxy .
After all , Grandma relied on her remembering and the look and feel of ingredient much more than on publish recipes .
Enter the Eight Ball
My granny also had access to just the correct squash , which she also call “ cousa . ” It was a small zucchini - like variety perfect for hollowing to hooey with goody . I ’ve look for its doppelgänger but have n’t yet found it .
The close I ’ve descend ? TheEight Ball squash . ( If you ’d prefer a close heirloom variety , try Tondo Scuro di Piacenza . )
you’re able to always head - sow these seeds . However , because I want to get an former starting time , I engraft mine indoors a couple of weeks before our mean last frost .
( Before planting , soak germ in warm urine for several hours . This softens their tough exterior and can supercharge sprouting rate . )
Not sure how many works you ’ll need ? One Eight Ball squash flora can bring about a sizeable phone number of compact , rounded fruit . It ’ll also take up a fortune of space in the garden if you let it . ( I plant mine too close to my bush beans and these squeeze dead sweep over them . )
Eight Ball squash does best in full-bodied , well - draining soil . infinite individual set every two feet . quad entire rows of squash five or six understructure apart .
As with most other squash rackets , Eight Ball is susceptible to powdery mildew , squash beetles and other pests . Check your squash daily for insect eggs , squash vine rock drill or disease , and manoeuver these off before they take over .
understand more : Learn all about patty pan squash , a delicious summertime vegetable .
Gathering Ingredients
An Eight Ball squash is best - suit for stuffing when it ’s about the size of a baseball game .
Using a sharp tongue , cut the yield ’s prow at an angle in edict to separate it from the plant life . At this stage , the squash will be very fragile , so take care not to by chance knick its pulp with your knife or a fingernail .
Want to make my variation on the many different cousa recipes out there ? Or mayhap come up with your own ? For point of reference , here is one fairly traditional recipe forLebanese - style “ koosa”—although it habituate yellow squash . And what follow are the factor and processIused .
( Just keep in psyche factor amounts are approximate and will depend on the full number and single sizes of your own squash . )
learn more : see out this recipe for a luscious corn whisky and zucchini frying pan !
Get Cooking
First , rinse off the exterior of your squash . Next , cut across the its top , for remove the stem and gain access code to the guts of the squash . Using a small sliver knife and spoon , slice 1/8 of an in in from the outside rampart of the squash . lift out out the semen and inside and set these aside .
Now , let your dig - out squash vine carapace dowse in a bowl of common salt water while you work on the stuffing .
For the dressing , collapse up and combine the Beyond Burger patties with the wry rice , cinnamon , allspice , nutmeg tree and about one - quarter cup of cooked , diced tomato . Remove the squash rackets shield from their soak and spoon in the stuffing .
Leave some room at the top of each squash to accommodate expansion of the rice .
Cover the bottom of a saucepan with some olive oil . Pack the overgorge squash upright in the pan .
( If you ’re relate your squashes might tip over during cooking , you’re able to add together stability by linking them together with toothpicks . )
smooch the maize juice and remaining love apple inwardly and around the squash vine . Add a dash of salt and pepper and then fill most of the stay infinite in the genus Pan with water system .
Place on high heat and bring to a boil . Once the assortment is boiling , cover the pan , reduce passion to medium or medium - to - low , and cook for 25 to 30 minutes . Then lift cousa out of its cooking bath and serve red-hot .
