Stuffed Peppers
Makes 6 servings • From the kitchen of Moggy LaVan
Ingredients
6 large peppers red, yellow, orange.
200g long grain white rice
1 large onion
2 celery sticks
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or allspice
75g raisins
4 tablespoons of pine kernel [lightly toasted]
4 ripe plum tomatoes
100g parmesan or cheddar cheese
pinch salt and pepper
Directions
Slice the tops off the peppers and take out the seeds and pith.
Put the rice into a microwaveable bowl and cover with boiling water, add a pinch of salt.
Cook in a microwave oven [10 minutes stirring half-way for a 750 W oven].
Alternatively you can boil the rice.
Blanch the peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain upside down on a wire rack.
Preheat oven [180 degrees/350 Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 4.
Finely chop the onion, garlic, celery.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, all onion, garlic and celery, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cinnamon/allspice and raisins to the frying pan and cook the contents for a further 1 minute.
Add the rice, pine kernels and tomatoes and stir. Cook for 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan/Cheddar cheese.
Brush the bottom of an ovenproof dish with olive oil. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture equally.
Arrange the stuffed peppers in the dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese over them. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and pour in enough water to come 1 cm up the sides of the peppers. Loosely cover the dish with kitchen foil.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes at the same temperature.
Finally serve hot and savor the flavor!
