A better stuffed pepper

A good while ago, I wrote a post about the consequences of getting carried away at farm shops and markets, filling baskets with too many beautiful vegetables and produce that need to be used and eaten before the dreaded guilt of waste takes over. A different year = a different me, so I thought. Yet here I go again, getting seduced by the produce and buying what looks like a mini harvest festival in my kitchen.

In all fairness, when you have suffered 4 consecutive months of dreary rain and grey skies, a day that is gloriously sunny and warm makes you want to jump for joy and fill your lungs with the fresh air you have been lacking for so long. After visiting places like 'Finn's Slough', (pictured above), a small hidden fishing village steeped in community and history, a trip to a farm shop alive with people and colourful vegetables fills you with optimism and you may be forgiven for buying too much.....

......like this.

The mission again is to use all of this stuff and not waste as much as a single pea. Back at the farm, I wandered off to get some onions while charging Neil with the task of choosing an orange pepper. He seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time choosing one and I simply thought he had once again succumb to his inner cook and was squeezing, inspecting and pontificating his choice. It wasn't until we reached the checkout that I realised he had bought three instead of one. What to do with so many peppers?

Neil's face lit up when I suggested we once again have stuffed peppers for dinner, so how could I refuse? But, this time I wanted to make them more 'badass' than before.

I started by placing a tomato in the pepper to roast along with the empty pepper shells, (really, is there anything more suited for stuffing than a pepper)? I hoped this would draw out some flavour from the pretty tasteless tomatoes, (I remember when all tomatoes tasted like this, before I discovered organic, heritage and heirloom varieties). The peppers, in contrast, were bursting with bright, sweet flavour.

The ground beef filling was amped up with chili powder and steak seasoning to give it more oomph and spice...

But the real difference lay in my idea to use two types of cheese in the pepper. One salty, crumbly Caerphilly and one strong, sharp aged Cheddar, placing one cheese in the middle of the stuffing to melt and coat the meat around it. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but good enough to warrant a mention and put a smile on my face.

By roasting the peppers for a little while first, you are ensuring their natural sweetness comes through, albeit leaving the peppers crunchy and firm enough not to collapse.

To accompany the peppers, we ate a salad made from broad beans boiled and peeled, dressed with a lemon vinaigrette and feta cheese. Some mint and basil rounded out the flavours and provided a really fresh spring salad. So, the harvest festival begins to dwindle....

Recipe : A better stuffed pepper

2 large orange, red or yellow peppers

2 small tomatoes

1 tsp oil

Stuffing mix:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 tbsp oil

1/2 large red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp steak seasoning

A few drops Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil and mint

salt and pepper

1 tbsp Caerphilly or other crumbly cheese like Lancashire or Feta.

1 tbsp strong Cheddar or similar, grated

Preheat the oven to 400oF.

Cut the top off the peppers carefully and remove the seeds and pith inside.

Cut a small slice off the bottom of each pepper to allow them to stand up securely.

Place one tomato into each pepper and drizzle with oil and season with some salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes to allow the peppers and tomatoes to soften and sweeten.

To make the stuffing: 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium - high heat and add the ground beef, onion, garlic and pepper and stir fry until brown and crispy. Add the other ingredients and turn down heat, let cook gently until the mushrooms are soft.

Fill each pepper 3/4 high with the stuffing and then add the first cheese, pressing down the stuffing slightly. 

Top with more stuffing and then add the Cheddar. 

Place back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or so until piping hot and melted.

Recipe : Broad bean and mint salad

1/4 cup broad beans, podded

1 tbsp Feta cheese

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

juice of half a lemon

Good few twists of black pepper and salt

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Boil the beans in a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutes or cook on high for 2 minutes in a bowl of water in the microwave.

Drain and cool then remove the outer skin, (you need some patience for this).

Place in a bowl, add the mint and feta, stir well, then drizzle over the lemon and oil and season. Stir well again and let sit for a few moments to let the flavours mingle.