Here is a classic recipe revisited by Camille, our guest chef from Books for Cooks, with a lovely spice mix of cumin, coriander, saffron and cinnamon. The stuffed peppers are a meal in one so all that’s needed on the side is a crisp green salad dressed with lemon, olive oil and cubes of feta, accompanied by a dollop of cucumber and mint yoghurt.
Red peppers stuffed with spiced lamb and rice
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Recipe by: Camille Rope Busy:25 min, Total prep time: 50 min Serves: 6 |
Start by rinsing the rice well in a sieve with cold water, until the water is clear.
Put in a saucepan and just cover with water. Place over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat down and cook for another 3 minutes. By this stage most of the water should have evaporated. Leave on for another minute or so if it hasn’t. Then turn the heat off and leave covered to steam.
Chop the courgettes into small dice
Chop the coriander
Cut the roots off the spring onions and any ragged ends at the top and discard. Chop the onions finely.
Cut each pepper across its width so you get a top half and a bottom half. Remove the seeds and cut the white flesh out. Trim the bottom of each half so that the peppers sit nicely on a plate (see the picture). Don’t worry if there is a little hole at the bottom.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan big enough to hold the mince and rice. Sauté the mince until browned, this will take a few minutes. Add the spring onions, garlic and courgettes. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened.
Add the cumin, coriander and cinnamon and cook until the spices become fragrant. Dissolve the saffron in the stock and pour into the pan along with the rice. Mix well and let it bubble away until the liquid has evaporated but the mix is not completely dry. Add the pine nuts, cranberries or raisins, and chopped coriander (keep a bit aside for garnish). Add chili if using and salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon this mixture into the half peppers. Cover with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with cucumber and mint yoghurt and a green salad. On the picture I used sliced Chicory leaves with walnuts and blue cheese, drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. It worked fantastically well.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Start by rinsing the rice well in a sieve with cold water, until the water is clear.
Put in a saucepan and just cover with water. Place over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat down and cook for another 3 minutes. By this stage most of the water should have evaporated. Leave on for another minute or so if it hasn’t. Then turn the heat off and leave covered to steam.
Chop the courgettes into small dice
Chop the coriander
Cut the roots off the spring onions and any ragged ends at the top and discard. Chop the onions finely.
Cut each pepper across its width so you get a top half and a bottom half. Remove the seeds and cut the white flesh out. Trim the bottom of each half so that the peppers sit nicely on a plate (see the picture). Don’t worry if there is a little hole at the bottom.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan big enough to hold the mince and rice. Sauté the mince until browned, this will take a few minutes. Add the spring onions, garlic and courgettes. Cook for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened.
Add the cumin, coriander and cinnamon and cook until the spices become fragrant. Dissolve the saffron in the stock and pour into the pan along with the rice. Mix well and let it bubble away until the liquid has evaporated but the mix is not completely dry. Add the pine nuts, cranberries or raisins, and chopped coriander (keep a bit aside for garnish). Add chili if using and salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon this mixture into the half peppers. Cover with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with cucumber and mint yoghurt and a green salad. On the picture I used sliced Chicory leaves with walnuts and blue cheese, drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. It worked fantastically well.
You can use this mixture to stuff other vegetables such as courgettes and aubergines. Bulgur will also make a great alternative to rice.
Ingredients
3 round and nicely shaped red peppers
2 small courgettes
120 ml dry basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g lamb mince
3 spring onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Pinch cayenne pepper or chili flakes
Pinch ground cinnamon
125 ml vegetable or chicken stock, or water
Pinch of saffron strands
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries
5 sprigs coriander
3 round and nicely shaped red peppers
2 small courgettes
120 ml dry basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g lamb mince
3 spring onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Pinch cayenne pepper or chili flakes
Pinch ground cinnamon
125 ml vegetable or chicken stock, or water
Pinch of saffron strands
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries
5 sprigs coriander
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