Lebanese Koosa (Cousa, kusa, cusa) Recipes
Lebanese Koosa Soup with Meatballs
Lebanese Koosa Soup with Meatballs is an easier, faster way to all of the flavors we love in a beautiful, warming bowl of soup. Koosa (kousa, cousa) is a light green squash typically stuffed and cooked in tomato broth. Let’s enjoy the mouthwatering flavor of stuffed koosa but simplified! I make it known around my…
Read MoreKoosa Core Saute
What to do with koosa cores, the centers of summer squash scraped out when you maked stuffed koosa? There are a few great ways to put the cores to use; my favorite is a quick koosa core saute over high heat, with plenty of aromatics for flavor. It’s like winning a little victory in the…
Read MoreKoosa in Yogurt Sauce
Koosa in yogurt sauce is light green squash cored and filled, then poached in a rich, savory sauce of yogurt and mint. Kibbeh is also wonderful made this same way; find that recipe here. Get the finest koosa corer made here, at MaureenAboodMarket.com. Watch my video on koosa-making here. When I think about my kitchen…
Read MoreVegetarian Stuffed Koosa
Vegetarian stuffed koosa is based on the classic Lebanese dish of hollowed-out, stuffed summer squash poached in tomato (or yogurt). Koosa squash is a lighter green version of zucchini; dark green or yellow zucchini work beautifully for this dish if you don’t have Lebanese koosa. In any case, always select smaller squash, about 6 or…
Read MoreKoosa Fatayer (a.k.a.: savory zucchini pies)
Koosa Fatayar are one of many Lebanese fatayar recipes, little triangular pies with savory fillings. Practice makes perfect in getting the dough pinched very hard along the seams to keep the pies from opening up. Find recipes for spinach fatayar here and meat fatayar here. When one makes a study of literature, as I did…
Read MoreCoosa and eggs, breakfast (or dinner) of champions
There seems to be this idea that just because you go to culinary school and write a food blog and think and talk incessantly about food that your table is graced with elaborate meals three times a day. I’d hate for you to see my breakfast program, which has been undergoing a reform lately. When…
Read MoreIngredient: Little coosa, little summer squash
It’s true that the Lebanese love to stuff it—grape leaves, cabbage, coosa. The coosa refers to a particular light green, medium-sized squash that is sweet, tender, and so good. But they’re difficult to find, so we turn also to traditional zucchini and yellow summer squash, which are succulent too. Last week I was strolling down…
Read MoreLebanese Stuffed Koosa
Stuffed Koosa. Are you a Koosa? Lebanese Stuffed Koosa is a traditional dish of light green summer squash stuffed with a meat and rice mixture, cooked in deeply savory tomato broth. Can’t find koosa? That’s just fine; use zucchini or yellow squash for delicious results. Many of us at some point or another have called…
Read MoreTechnique: How to core coosa, or summer squash
To make stuffed squash, or coosa mehshee (MEH-she), the squash has to be hollowed out. A special tool is used for this, and it’s typically called a zucchini corer. My search for a high-quality corer with the right-sized handle and sharp metal corer landed on making my own–that is, with an artisan from northern Michigan,…
Read MoreIngredient: Summer Squash, or Coosa
A thrilling experience I had when I was living in Chicago was discovering Lebanese coosa at the Green City Market (I’m easily thrilled). This variety of summer squash was dubbed “Korean” squash by the wonderful Green Acres Farm, but it is one and the same as the small, pale green Lebanese squash I hadn’t seen…
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