Cousa

Cousa (stuffed squash)

In the summer, you can buy fresh cousa at the Farmer’s Market. Cousa is a Lebanese squash, not like the American squash. It is pale green with a delicate skin, best bought when the squash is small. About 3 inches long.  We buy a basket of it and prepare some of it to eat right away, but we also can it for the winter months. Some people freeze the cousa stuffed with the sauce, or just hollowed out. We have a great method developed by David’s uncle, Linda Makol’s father, Dr. Jim Makol,who wanted to eat cousa that tasted as fresh as if he had just bought it and a vegetable that didn’t lose it’s beautiful green color.

Preparing Cousa Fresh

Ingredients

Cousa
Ground Lamb Meat
Rice

Beef Broth
Salt
Pepper
Allspice
Lemon Juice
Tomato Paste
Garlic


You also need a scooper that you can get in any Middle Eastern store (Samir’s in Syracuse)

Directions

To prepare the cousa, slice off stalk and shave off the tail end very gently where the flower was attached.
Place the cousa in a bowl of water, don’t dump it into the bowl, as the cousa bruises easily
Hollow cousa out by carefully scooping out the insides. There is a special scooper for this.

(If using canned cousa instead, empty liquid out of pickling jar and rinse the cousa thoroughly in cold water. The cousa is now ready to be stuffed)

Stuffing

Take a skillet and measure
1/4 cup rice

1 lb ground lamb meat                        
1 can Campbell’s beef broth
1 tablespoon salt
shake of pepper
1 teasp allspice
2 lemons squeezed

If the meat is frozen, put on stove at low heat and cook covered until the meat is browned and the rice softened.  If the meat is fresh, brown first, add cooked rice and all the rest of the ingredients and stir for a few minutes. I like the rice to be pretty much done before stuffing the cousa, this way, the cousa can remain a little crunchy rather than getting really mushy.

Stuff cousa generously, but not too tightly as the rice will expand a little

In the pan you are going to place the cousa, put six cloves garlic halved, lay the stuffed cousa close together.
Mix together 1 can beef broth and 1 can tomato paste, pour over cousa. Pour any liquid left over from skillet over cousa.

Cover and cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until just beginning to become tender. Turn the heat off and let sit until you are ready to serve. Reheat just before eating. According to your taste, don’t let the cousa become mushy, let them remain firm. Some people like a mushy cousa, so that’s up to you.

Canning Cousa

Use 2 quart pickling jar. Sterilize in dish washer
Scub cousa well with soft brush, wash thoroughly. Any dirt left on cousa can cause bacteria to grow
Slice off stalk and shave off the tail end very gently where the flower was attached. Hollow cousa out by carefully scooping out insides. You need to use a special scooper for this.
Fill pickling jar with hot water
Bring 3 quarts water to the boil in a large enamel lined pan

Drop squash in for a minute to blanch, remove and set aside in colander.
Empty water out of pickling jar
Put 2 tablespoons salicilic acid in bottom of pickling jar (you may need a prescription for this, we used to be able to get it at the pharmacy)
Stack cousa hollow ends up in pickling jar
Place pickling jar in a bowl. Pour the same water used to blanch the cousa , over the cousa in the pickling jar. So that the water used to blanch the cousa is now in the pickling jar. Keep pouring till the pickling jar is completely filled and the water spills over the top
Place lid on jar and screw tightly, turn the jar upside down to seal the lid.
Allow to cool upside down overnight.
Store in upright position for the winter.

When purchasing or picking cousa, you cannot always get the exact amount to fill the pickling jar. I you do not quite fill the pickling jar, fill the jar with boiling water is it it were filled and turn upside down to seal lid. In other words, proceed with the normal canning steps.