HOW TO MAKE IT

• First, prepare the pot
• Place your slices of tomatoes along the bottom of a small pot – this will prevent the zucchini from burning while cooking
• Soak the rice in very hot water for 1/2 hour – then strain
• Mix the rice with the raw ground beef with your hands – season with salt and pepper
• With a small spoon, scoop out the pulp of the zucchini until they’re hollow, but not open all the way through – leave about 1/8″-1/4″ around the interior wall
• Stuff the zucchini with the rice and meat
• Line the pot with the zucchini (if you’re also making grape leaves just randomly mix in the zucchini)
• Place a small dish on top of the zucchini to add some pressure
• Dissolve 1 tbsp of salt in 1 cup of water (for every cup of rice you need 2 cups of water) then pour the water into the pot
• Cook it on high heat until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low heat for approximately 1 hour
• Check to see if the zucchini is cooked – once it’s cooked, pour in 1  1/2 oz. of fresh lemon juice
• If the rice is not quite cooked, add in more water a little bit at a time (2-3 oz. at a time)
• Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and let the pot settle while covered for at least 15 minutes
• When you’re ready to serve, put a large round platter face down on the pot and tip the pot over
• Serve with fresh pita bread and plain yogurt
• If you have extra rice and meat, cook it in a small pot as you would normally cook rice (roughly estimate how much water you need – rule of thumb is 2 cups water to every cup of rice)