Maghshi
This is my top favorite winter time dish. Yet another dish I’ve only ever had at home and I’m here to share with you all. Basically we take the arabic classic Kusa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini/Squash) and serve with a garlic heavy yogurt sauce. It’s really a dish that’s hard to describe through words. The aroma is one of a kind and warms you right up.
Serves: 4
Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
1 lbs Ground Beef
2 tsp Arabic 7 Spice
2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Neutral Oil
10-15 Zucchini or Gray Squash
4 cups Plain Yogurt
3 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Salt
3 cups Water
0.25 cup Pine Nuts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4-5 Garlic Cloves
Instructions
Start by making the filling. Place a large frying pan on high heat for two minutes then drop to medium. Add the ground beef and cook until most of the fat is rendered out and breaking into small pieces. Season with salt and arabic 7 spice. Mix well and continue cooking until all the fat has been cooked out. Then set aside and let it cool. Toast the pine nuts in olive oil until golden brown then mix in with the meat. Reserve some on the side for garnish if you like.
Cut the bottoms of the zucchini off and core until you have a decent sized cavity. Fill each up with the filling and set aside.
Heat up another skillet then add a bit of olive oil. Place the stuffed zucchini/squash and sear on all sides until nicely browned and set aside.
Whisk together the yogurt, salt, cornstarch, and water. Place in a large pot and slowly bring to a simmer whisking continuously to avoid the yogurt from curdling. Once it has reached a simmer, drop in the stuffed zucchini/squash and simmer for about 20 minutes. If you’d like the sauce to be thicker, mix a tbsp of cornstarch with a tbsp of cold water to make a slurry then add to the pot.
Finally crush the garlic cloves and flash fry in olive oil until fragrant and immediately drop into the stew.
Plate and serve with vermicelli rice. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, aleppo pepper, and fresh parsley.
