Stuffed Peppers

I’ve been trying for years to replicate the stuffed peppers we used to get on the Greek Islands back in the 70s. In those days we’d go into a taverna, straight through to the kitchen and have a gander at what was on offer. The tray of stuffed veggies – peppers or tomatoes – always caught our eye and we’d know they’d be OK for Nobby because they didn’t put meat in them in those days. They looked and smelt abso-bleeding-lutely wonderful. Tziki and bread to start, stuffed peppers and chips and a bottle of retzina to wash it down (water wasn’t safe you see) and back to the villa for a kip – what better way to spend a hot Greek afternoon.

Then the islands became a bit more commercial and dishes were made for the foreign palate and that included more meat. Stuffed tomatoes and peppers became a bit of a lottery - a lot of tavernas used at least a small amount of meat and it became quite difficult to find anywhere that stuck to the veggie recipe resulting in a rather unhappy and hungry Nobby.

And in the before-time, Greek food used to be served either warm or at room temperature. There was no point sending your food back complaining it wasn’t hot – why would you want hot food? They'd take it away and you’d wait another hour and the same food would come back at the same temperature and you would have gained nothing but heartburn. Things have changed since then and you can get hot chips these days: hot chips and meat – where’s the fun in that?

But after all these years I think I've finally cracked it. I've tried these a few times now - never the same way of course - but last night's were a triumph: I read my original recipe wrong and made the mistake of doubling up on the passatta. I thought the rice would turn into a sloppy mess, but it didn't, and they were lovely.

I recommend you give 'em a go - just give 'em a go.

Serves 2 plus lunch next day

4 medium peppers – whatever colour you like but red’s the best
Pinch of sugar
8 tbsp basmati rice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Handful of mint, chopped
300ml Passatta
75ml Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cook the rice in salted water until almost done. Wash, dry and cut the tops off the peppers. Take out the core and place standing upright in a dish – they need to fit quite snugly. Sprinkle the inside of the peppers with a pinch of sugar.

Mix the cooked rice with the onion, garlic, 200ml of the passatta, mint, salt and pepper and about 50ml of olive oil. Stuff the peppers with this mixture.

Replace the lids on the peppers, pour the remaining passatta mixed with an equal quantity of water and another 25ml of olive oil over the peppers and into the base of the dish. Place in oven, Gas 4-5, middle shelf, for about 1¾ hrs – the tops should have blackened a little and the peppers should be really soft – then turn off the oven and let them sit and mellow for at least an hour, preferably a lot longer. These are best served slightly warm or at room temperature. Never hot – see above.

Serving suggestion: being Greek in nature, these will obviously go well with cold chips and tziki, and/or a slice of feta. A bit of salad wouldn’t go amiss, but it’s not obligatory.

The photo shows the peppers before they’ve been in the oven, the slack in the dish being taken up with potato wedges.