Food is travel. As more of us move, to new lives in a new city or a new continent, out of choice, or because all other choices are gone, we leave our homes and start again in different places among different cultures. We try to fit in and adapt. But we also share our memories of where we came from. At the heart of this blend of old and new is food. More than just nourishment, food is about history and place, family and friends. Food is a key to who we are and how we feel.
This traditional stuffed courgette dish is all of these feelings fused together. We call it Koussa Mehshi or just Koussa for short. This dish is a memory of home and the everyday, a memory of the past that bring a feeling of comfort and the safety of home.
There are several variations of “Koussa” some include vinenleaves and some are stuffed with meat, some are vegan. Some are cooked with tomato sauce and some without. This recipe is the way my mom made it with a few tweaks. it is stuffed with brown rice and minced beef, and cooked in a thick passata tomato sauce finished off with loads of garlic and fragrant dried mint. Always delicous and always always hits the spot.
The small courgettes are cored first until only a thin outer layer is left then stuffed with short grain rice and minced beef. Many times my mother would add other vegetables such as small aubergines, tomatoes and bell peppers. All the stuffed vegetables are then cooked in a tomato passata sauce finished off with loads of garlic and dried mint.
