Hashwe (Arabian Stuffed Vegetables) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup long-grain rice
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb lamb, finely ground
1/2 lb beef, finely ground
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Vegetables for stuffing (Choose one option)
4 medium tomatoes, tops cut off and hollowed for stuffing
6 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch lengths, hollowed out with a corer, placed on end for stuffing
4 medium bell peppers, tops cut off and cored and seeded for stuffing
Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
1 lemon, juice of

Preparation

In a 2-quart covered saucepan bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add the rice, return to the boil, cover, and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and cool before proceeding with the recipe.
Mix cooked rice thoroughly with the stuffing ingredients.
Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat and saute garlic for a few minutes.
Add meat with spices and cook until browned.
Fill the vegetables loosely with the rice and meat mixture. The rice will expand during cooking, so do not pack; leave room at the top or the sides.
Arrange the vegetables in a covered, deep skillet.
Simmer, covered, along with the water, tomato sauce, and lemon juice on low heat (30 minutes for bell peppers and zucchini; 20 minutes for tomatoes).
Check sauce levels occasionally to see that it is not evaporating. If it gets low, add more hot water, tomato sauce and lemon as necessary.