Stuffed Peppers

Here is a wonderful light meal or if required can make a main if you add other veg (potatoes, cauliflower, beans) to it.

It can be made in the slow cooker from the cover with foil stage*

Makes 4 portions.

Ingredients

4 large peppers (red, green, yellow, some find the green ones a little indigestable and strong tasting)

500g of lean lamb mince

1 anchovy filet

2 spoonfuls of capers

1 cup of rice

2 diced shallots

2 tea spoons of tomato puree

1 chopped clove of garlic

2 desert spoons of olive oil

1 table spoon of chopped mint (or any other herb that you wish, but if using rosemary or thyme cut by half)

1 medium onion (I don't know what size it is but some where between a large shallot and a Spanish onion)

100g of speck or cured belly, diced small

1l of chicken stock (if you have lamb all the better)

S&P to taste.



Method
Soften the shallots in 1 spoon of olive oil.

Add the garlic, don't burn it.

Add the tomato puree

Add the anchovy filet and capers (chopped)

Stir all together and sauté

Add the mince and allow to colour, cover, and allow to cook until the juices rise.

In between boil your rice whatever way you wish; I use the absorbtion method, 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water or stock. Boil it until it is not quite done (still got a little white spot on the inside when crushed between thumb and finger).

Add the rice to the mince and mix

Add the mint (or other herbs of your choice) to the mixture and fill the peppers.

Fry the speck in the oil and add the onion fry until translucent add to roasting tin.

Put the stock in a roasting tin and place the peppers in it (the tin should just be large enough to take all four peppers and the stock should be 1/2" deep, this way the don't fall over).

*Cover with aluminium foil and place in a 200° oven for 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

If only doing a couple of peppers, I often use a Pyrex dish with a lid.

Keep an eye on the liquid and replace evaporation with hot stock.

When cooked carefully remove cover and set aside, pour the stock into a sauce pan and add any thing you wish, oxo or gravy browning, if you must, but a couple of nuts of beurre manié and a little red wine bubbled up makes a very nice sauce.

You can add whatever herbs you wish to the mince, or even a nice bit of chopped chilli, smoked paprika, chopped mushrooms, the variations are unending. You can also make a vegetarian version by replacing the mince with mushrooms and couscous instead of rice.

You can also slice length ways and hollow out courgettes and marrows, then filling and tying the two halves together with kitchen string.

I remember my Mam doing this with monster marrows that my Dad grew, it was always one of my favourite ones, because it would normally be followed with blackberry and apple pud either a steamed suet, a crumble or a summer steamed sponge fruit pud.



That shall be a recipe for later