Meat-Stuffed Cucumbers | Antakya-Style Hot Dish

Wash the cucumbers and trim the ends. Use a peeler to remove alternating lengthwise strips of skin, leaving bands of skin between them; fully peeled cucumbers can fall apart while sauce will not penetrate unpeeled ones. Use a corer to hollow them out, leaving half a centimeter of flesh around the sides.

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Combine the ground meat, rinsed and drained rice, onion, garlic, mint, Turkish red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and olive oil. Knead for 5 minutes; the filling is ready when it holds together without cracking.

Fill the cucumbers, leaving a finger-width of space at the top because the rice expands as it cooks. Chop the hollowed-out cucumber flesh and spread it on the bottom of the pot. Arrange the stuffed cucumbers in a single layer on top.

Place an upside-down plate over the cucumbers, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes; they are ready when the flesh turns translucent and a fork easily pierces the side. Rest for 10 minutes, then serve hot with the sauce.