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Lockdown 2.0. Use it or lose it! Spanish-ish stuffed peppers.



I made this last night, principally because we had a batch of red peppers that were beyond date code and getting to the stage where they had lost their shine and developed a severe case of the wrinkles.

It was then a case of using up whatever else we had in the fridge or the larder.

By a process of elimination, aided by online search, I ended up with a sort of Spanish/Mexican style dish, so really mozzarella was the wrong cheese but it still worked pretty well.

The jar of nduja was just sitting there in the fridge, with a couple of tablespoons left in the bottom, begging to be used up and the flavours worked well together.

The verdict was that it was pretty good. We also had a pile of home made oven baked skinny fries, to use up the bag of Maris pipers that were starting to grow in the larder. We coated them in a combo of sweet and spicy Spanish paprika, crushed garlic granules and salt and pepper. 


INGREDIENTS

4 small to medium red peppers 

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for the peppers 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for the peppers

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking dish

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Handful of black olives halved

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves and tender stems

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)

I ball mozzarella chopped

Nduja (optional)


For serving: sour cream or creme fraiche, guacamole, coriander, mojo verde and lime wedges (optional)



INSTRUCTIONS


Cook the rice according to the instructions on the pack.


Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 180c. Lightly coat a baking dish with oil and set aside.


Trim the stems of the peppers, if needed, then halve them lengthwise. Remove the ribs and seeds. Arrange the peppers cut-side up in the prepared baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper.


Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, pepper flakes, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer for 3 minutes more.


Stir in the rice, the coriander and lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.


Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, pressing down to pack them tightly. Pour 1/2 cup water into the baking dish and cover it tightly with foil. 

Bake until the peppers are tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to  200c. Sprinkle the olives, cheese (and nduja if using) on the peppers and continue baking until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.


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