I’ve talked a lot about mechshie (a Syrian dish of stuffed vegetables) on my blog, especially around the holidays. I decided to keep up the tradition, and for the third year in a row, I’m sharing a stuffed vegetable recipe in honor of Sukkot. The tradition of eating stuffed foods on Succot is symbolic of an abundant harvest season. Since the wheat is harvested in Israel during the fall, we stuff foods to symbolize our desire for an overflowing harvest. This is popularly done with stuffed cabbage, or holipches, which some say are also made to resemble the scrolls of a Torah.
Ever since I married into a Sephardic family, I can’t get enough of my mother-in-laws delicious mechshie dishes! I’m slowly learning to cook different variations, adapting my favorite recipe with the additions of tamarind, pomegranate molasses and different types of vegetables and dried fruit.
When I spotted beautiful globe zucchini in the market, I just knew I had to turn it into some kind of mechshie. The small, round zucchini were perfect for filling, and I decided to work in some tamarind paste, an ingredient essential to Sephardic cooking. It adds a hint of sourness to the sweet dish, a perfect pairing with the plump dried prunes.
So let’s get stuffin’!
Stuffed Zucchini Mechshie with Tamarind & Prunes
8 globe zucchini or 2-3 large zucchini cut in thirds
Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup basmati rice
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp water
Sauce:
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1/4 cup tamarind paste (available in Middle Eastern markets)
1/4 cup brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 10oz. container dried prunes
Method:
To prepare the filling, combine the meat, rice, allspice, salt and water in a bowl and mix well to combine (I like to do this by hand, using gloves). Try to handle the meat gently, don’t squeeze it too much as this tends to toughen it up.
Cut the tops off the zucchinis and scoop out some of the pulp with a spoon, leaving a thick border. Place all the pulp in the bottom of a greased wide saucepan.
If using regular zucchini, use a paring knife (or a long vegetable corer, known as a ma’vdeh), to core them.
Stuff the zucchini with the meat filling, taking care not to fill them too tightly as the rice will expand during cooking. Place the stuffed zucchini’s in the pot, and place prunes all around.
In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the zucchini. Cover the pot and bring the liquid up to a boil over high heat. Lower the flame and simmer for 1-2 hours.
NOTE: If you have leftover meat filling, roll it into small meatballs and place in the pot alongside the zucchini.
More Mechshie Recipes:
stuffed baby eggplant mechshie
zucchini and tomato mechshie “ratatouille”
More “Stuffed” Recipes:
corned beef arancini
Passover stuffed cabbage (replace potatoes with rice)
collard stuffed sweet potatoes
sausage and apple stuffed butternut squash
spinach stuffed mushrooms
stuffed chicken roulade
Israeli stuffed eggplants
Hi, this is NOT Sephardic but middle eastern food. We the Sephardim indeed do stuffed vegetables but not this type in particular.
If your husband’s family are immigrants from Syria or Lebanon or Iran or Iraq, they are not Sephardim. They are Mizrahim although they are mistakenly called Sephardim.
Chag Sameach!
Thanks for the clarification Ana. I know this mechshie dish is not a true Sephardic or Syrian dish. It is my adaptation.
:)
IF I don’t have time to find tamarind sauce or can’t find with a hechsher, can I replace with anything else? This looks delicious!!
Hi Renee, you can try with pomegranate molasses. It’s got tang like tamarind, I think it could work. Just taste the sauce to see if it needs more sugar, or start with less molasses. You can also leave it out altogether, it’s still really good without it.
This looks divine! I’m going to vegetarianize this because I just can’t get this flavour combination out of my head!
wow, I’d love to see that! Send me the link when it’s up!
Hello Chanie! We had sent you an inquiry for collaboration on August 24 but did not receive any reply from you. So we have sent it again since it might have gone to your spam box. We would greatly appreciate if you get back to us and tell us what you think about our offer. Thanks!
Thanks Diana, I will email you back now.
Mechshie always reminds me of my grandmother, we always look forward to her cooking. Great Recipe, love the combination of the dry fruits and tomatoes.
I got to try this, I think I would like this version better than the original, the flavors sound perfect.
Hi Chanie! This recipe is perfect for my needs. I am looking for a new dish that will make my family appreciate a well put together meal and it is healthy.
Thanks!
How many ounces is the can of tomato sauce that you use in the recipe?
15 ounces. (sorry for not specifying!)
This looks awesome, can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks Finn!
I look out for your mechshie posts – I remember reading one and how you connected it to family. I really loved that, so now I am always on the look out for more!
Made this for shabbat lunch and my husband almost fainted he liked it so much! Made a few minor tweaks (less sugar, tamarind, and prunes; am in an ottolenghi state-of-mind so i added buccarat, and was out of tomato sauce so i added canned tomatoes + onion + garlic & onion salt) and we enjoyed with a cold, bitter bazelet ale. it was a complete meal in itself!
That’s amazing Linda! Thanks so much for sharing!
Do you need to cook the rice first?
Nope!
Hi Chani!
Does the rice need to be Pre cooked?
Tia!
No, I use raw rice for this.