Week 6: Stuffed peppers

This week, we're making stuffed peppers:

 

The first main dish of the blog is, of course, one I really like. Stuffed peppers are often a basic dish for omnivores to make when they have a vegetarian coming over for dinner, but they're actually really versatile. You can stuff with anything from lemony potatoes to spicy rice. But, as this is the GW2 version, we're going to be working with a sweet tomato-minced meat-rice mixture. The recipe calls for red bell peppers, but if you prefer the taste, there's nothing stopping you from getting yellow or green ones instead.

Stuffed peppers

Ingredients (4 people):

4 large red bell peppers

300 g minced meat (beef or 50/50 pork-beef)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1-2 tblsp fresh basil, chopped

250 g tomatoes, chopped*

150 g long grain rice

Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Fry the minced meat in a non-stick frying pan until it's done, then remove from the pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the basil and tomatoes. Turn the heat to high. Add the rice and give the mixture a good stir. Add 250 ml of water and bring to the boil. Over low heat with a lid on the pan, boil for 12-15 minutes until the rice is done. If the mixture is in danger of boiling dry, add a bit of water, but only a little bit at a time. When all the water has been absorbed and the rice is done, add the meat and stir through. Season to taste.

Cut the caps off the peppers and remove the seeds. Rub the outside of the peppers with a bit of vegetable oil - that includes the caps! Fill the peppers with the rice-mixture and place in an oven dish, preferably a small one so they can't fall over. Place the caps back on the peppers (if necessary, secure with a cocktail stick which has been soaked in water for a few minutes). If you don't want to or can't replace the caps, cover the dish with aluminium foil. Place in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. The skin of the peppers may get a bit black, but it will then easily flake off so you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy!

*: You can use chopped tomatoes from a tin if you prefer