Savta Mazal’s Mehshi b’Leben
Zucchini Stuffed with Chickpeas and Rice
by Miriam Meir
This week's recipe comes from my partner's grandmother, Savta Mazal z”l, who called it Mehshi b'Leben. It's a traditional dish of the Aleppo Jewish community in Jerusalem: zucchini stuffed with chickpeas and rice, gently simmered in a buttery, turmeric-scented chicken broth and served with leben, a tangy cultured milk product.
I made a few small additions to Savta Mazal's recipe, including sautéed onions and garlic, as well as some beautiful little yellow onions from our CSA share. I used yellow zucchini, but green zucchini will work just as well.
Ingredients
¾ cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 cup uncooked rice (I used Persian medium grain, but basmati will work too)
7-9 zucchini (I used 4 large and 3 small yellow zucchini)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 small yellow onions, peeled and left whole
8 tbsp butter, divided
A drizzle of olive oil
3–4 cups chicken broth, or enough to nearly cover the zucchini
Ground turmeric, to taste
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Israeli leben or plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas after soaking overnight. Remove their skins and split each chickpea in half. This helps them cook more evenly.
Make the filling. Combine the chickpeas with the uncooked rice. Season with salt and white pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly.
Prepare the zucchini. Cut off the stem end of each zucchini, leaving the bottom intact. Using a zucchini corer or a small spoon, carefully hollow out the flesh, taking care not to pierce the sides or bottom.
Stuff the zucchini. Fill each zucchini about three-quarters full with the rice and chickpea mixture, leaving room for the rice to expand during cooking.
Sauté the aromatics. In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or sauté pan with a lid, melt about one-third of the butter with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook briefly, until fragrant.
Add the small onions. Place the six whole yellow onions in the pot and sauté for another 30 seconds, gently turning them to coat them in the butter.
Arrange the zucchini. Place the stuffed zucchini in the pot, nestling them among the onions in one single layer. If any rice and chickpea filling remains, scatter it around and between the zucchini.
Add the broth and seasonings. Cut the remaining butter into cubes and distribute them over the zucchini. Sprinkle with turmeric, then pour in enough chicken broth to nearly cover the zucchini (approximately 3–4 cups, depending on the size of your pot).
Cook gently. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for approximately 35 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes, allowing the remaining liquid to reduce. Check that the rice and chickpeas are tender before serving, and continue cooking if necessary.
Serve. Spoon the zucchini onto a serving platter, surrounded by the rice, chickpeas, and tender whole onions. Serve with Israeli leben or plain whole-milk yogurt.
Notes
About leben: Israeli leben (לבן) is a mildly tart, cultured milk product with a soft, creamy consistency. Plain whole-milk yogurt makes a good substitute if leben is unavailable.
The filling: Don't worry if you have more filling than will fit inside the zucchini. Scatter the remainder around them in the pot. The rice and chickpeas will absorb the flavorful broth as they cook, becoming an integral part of the finished dish.
The onions: Small, freshly harvested yellow onions are particularly lovely in this recipe. Left whole, they become tender and sweet as they cook alongside the zucchini.
Equipment: A wide sauté pan or heavy-bottomed pot works best, ideally one large enough to arrange the zucchini in a single layer. If your pot doesn't have a lid, cover it tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil.
About Miriam
Miriam is a mom, a teacher, and a part-time grad student. Her family's kitchen is broadly Mediterranean, and inspired by their heritage: Belgian, Israeli, Moroccan and Syrian.
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