12 small zucchini or other summer
squash
½ pound lean ground lamb
1 cup finely chopped onions
6 tablespoons cooked rice
2 eggs
¼ cup finely chopped parsely
1 teaspoon finely cut fresh mint
leaves or
½ teaspoon crumbled dried
mint leaves
¼ teaspoon hrisa
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup olive oil
4 medium-ripe tomatoes, peeled and
quartered
½ cup water
½ teaspoon black pepper,
freshly ground
Scrub the zucchini under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. With a small, sharp kinfe, cut about ½-inch off both ends of each zucchini. Carefully tunnel out the center of each zucchini, leaving a ¼-inch shell all around. Best to do this with a Syrian munara, or squash corer, but an apple corer is almost as effective.
In a deep bowl, combine the lamb, ½ cup of the onions, the rice, eggs, parsely, mint, hrisa, mace, and salt. Knead the ingredients together with your hands, then beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Taste for seasoning.
Warm the oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. When a light haze forms above it, add the remaining onions and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and translucent, but not brown. Stir in the tomatoes, water and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Arrange the zucchini in one layer over the tomatoes and spoon the liquid over them. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the zucchini are tender enough to be easily pierced by a fork.
To serve, arrange the zucchini attractively on a heated platter and pour the tomato sauce over them.