What’s Cooking - Peri Peri Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers

~ Agata @BarkTime
My Peri Peri Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers
My Peri Peri Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers

So the other day there I was hungry and as usual with no idea what to have for dinner when a distraction occurs, my dad calls… he is all glowing (I could almost feel it over the telephone lines) but what synchronicity as he starts telling me about some fantastic stuffed peppers he just made for his dinner. To make things worse he said “Just to prove how awesome they are I am sending you pictures”… I thought to myself “Great… just what I really need at this moment – some pictures of a yummy dinner”. He was right though his dinner did indeed look totally fantastic and what was even more impressive – they grew the peppers in their garden!

I really did envy my parents at that moment – a nice, healthy meal, which is already cooked and ready for consumption… This gave me the idea for the next day’s dinner. I really wanted to recreate my own stuffed peppers which would look at least as good as my dad’s, and with some luck even better so I could photo him back all smug.

So off shopping I went…

2. IngredientsIngredients acquired:

  • 500g of minced pork
  • 6 large nicely shaped, equal sized “fat” peppers
  • 3 onions
  • A handful of mushrooms
  • 1 egg
  • 150g rice
  • Stock pot
  • Oil for cooking
  • Cheese – optional for the cheese lovers
  • Herb and spices to taste:

Salt and Pepper
Paprika
Mixed herbs
Peri peri seasoning

Method:

3. Making peppers bowlsObviously the starting point is your peppers – Give them a wash to make sure that they are clean and then cut the top off thus making a lid, remove all the seeds and pith creating a pepper bowl and replace the lids to stop them drying out.

4. RiceBoil the rice according to the packets cooking instructions but halve the cooking time – you don’t want your rice fully cooked as it will be cooked again later and you run the risk of it going very mushy later on.

5. StockPrepare 2 cups of stock (each about 150ml) – one will go inside the final stuffing mix and the second one will go at the bottom of your cooking dish, so peppers can get extra moisture while cooking.

6. Onions and MashroomsPrepare the onions and mushrooms – cut them into small pieces and fry a bit until lightly golden.

7. Herbs and spicesMix all your herb and spices in one bowl and give them a good stir.

8. Mixing upNow it is time to combine everything together; mix your mince meat with the rice, herbs and spices and egg; add one cup of stock (I used herb stock) and finally add your fried onions and mushrooms. Mix everything well but gently so it stays light, too much pounding and you will end up with a dense heavy filling that will not be pleasant, until all ingredients are well combined.

9. Stuffing timeNext step stuffing your pepper bowls – fill your peppers with the mixture and place in your final cooking dish. Ideally you want a dish that the peppers fit snugly in so they can support their neighbours and prevent themselves from falling over whilst cooking in the oven.

10. Lids back onOnce all peppers are in place put their lids on and add the 2nd cup of stock to the bottom of your dish.

11. Oven timeCover and cook in the over for about 1.5h at 180C.

12. cheese timeAfter this time if you are a cheese lover you can remove the peppers from the oven, take their hats off and sprinkle some cheese over them. Pop them back into the oven – uncovered - for a further 10 minutes.

Now it is time to dish up!

I served our peppers with a tomato sauce (ok, almost tomato sauce, it was a tinned tomato soup from Heinz with added spices for a more “posh” flavour).

So there you have it a nice easy recipe for a colourful and funky dinner.

Enjoy! We did…..

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I’ve received a selection of herbs and spices from QSpice so I can use them in my cooking.

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29 thoughts on “What’s Cooking - Peri Peri Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers”

  7. Agata, these stuffed peppers look absolutely delicious! Just had my brekkie but now I’m ready to go for more food haha. I have Peri Peri sauce so this would easily become a favourite dish. Might try this over the weekend. xx Donah
    GiG

    Reply

  11. These look amazing! I’m a vegetarian so obviously wouldn’t have the meat, but could make a veggie version 🙂 xo

    Reply

  22. I would love to make it unfortunately my son is in a phase and doesn’t like peppers. but again he might then tell me he likes it cuz it looks like the peppers are holding a secret yummy inside.

    Reply

I love all comments :-)