2 cups water

1 cup long-grain rice

THE STUFFING

1/2 lb. lamb, finely ground

1/2 lb. beef, finely ground

pinch of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 Tbs. butter, melted

VEGETABLES FOR STUFFING

Choose any of the following or any combination. The mixture will fill:

4 medium tomatoes, tops cut off and hollowed for stuffing or

6 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch lengths, hollowed out with a corer, placed on end for stuffing or

4 medium bell peppers, tops cut off and cored and seeded for stuffing

COOKING SAUCE

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup canned tomato sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

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.

Fill the vegetables loosely with the rice mixture. It 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 flame (30 minutes for bell peppers and zucchini; 20 minutes for tomatoes). Check water to see that it is not evaporating. If it gets low, add more hot water.

VARIATION
Use the same Hashwe to stuff a chicken or a turkey. Or wrap in partially cooked fresh grape leaves, Swiss chard, cabbage, or slices of eggplant. Cloves of garlic added to the cooking liquid impart authentic flavor.

Serve accompanied with Leban Sauce, if desired. Serves 4.