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Stuffed Sweet Peppers With Rice And Currants

Choose fairly flat-bottomed peppers that can stand up easily. The rice pilaf is prepared with less water than usual and cooked until partially done because it finishes cooking inside the peppers. If you'd like to prepare the pilaf as a side dish, use twice as much liquid as rice (1 1/2 cups) and cook the rice until it is just tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Served on its own, the pilaf makes three portions; you may want to double the recipe.

Type: Vegetables
Serves: 7 people

Recipe Ingredients

5 tablespoons 75mlExtra-virgin olive oil - divided
2 tablespoons 30mlOnions - finely chopped (large)
3/4 cup 120g / 4.2ozLong-grain white rice
4 tablespoons 60mlSlivered almonds - (to 5)
1/4 cup 40g / 1.4ozCurrants or raisins
2   Plum tomatoes - chopped
2 teaspoons 10mlDried mint
  = (or 1 tbspn chopped fresh mint)
1/2 teaspoon 2.5mlGround allspice
1/2 teaspoon 2.5mlSugar - (to 1)
1/2 teaspoon 2.5mlSalt - or to taste
  Freshly-ground black pepper - to taste
1 1/4 cups 296mlHot chicken or vegetable broth
  = (or water)
6   Red, orange or yellow bell peppers - (to 7 (small)
  = (abt 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs total)
1 1/2 cups 355mlHot water

Recipe Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or stew pan. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to turn golden, 15 minutes; reduce the heat if they brown too fast.

Add the rice and almonds and stir over low heat to toast them, 5 minutes. Add the currants, tomatoes, mint, allspice, sugar, salt and pepper to taste; cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, 12 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning; the rice will not be cooked yet.

Cut a slice off the stem end of each pepper. Reserve the slice, leaving the stem on; carefully remove the core and seeds from inside the pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the peppers and cover with the reserved pepper slices. Stand the peppers in a baking dish in which they just fit. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water to the dish. Sprinkle the peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Cover and bake until the peppers are tender, 1 hour. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe yields 6 or 7 servings.

Each of 7 serving: 148 calories; 175 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 3.37 grams fiber.

Source:
The Los Angeles Times, 09-04-2002

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