Ingredients
Israeli Stuffed Peppers
Vegetables to stuff: About 6 red peppers; 4 thick zucchinis halved; 1 large onion. (Quantities will vary depending on the size of the veggies)
½ kg (1lb) minced beef
1 cup raw long grained rice (Basmati is best)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions finely chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic crushed
100 g (4 oz) tomato paste
1 grated carrot
½ small chili chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ hot paprika
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chicken stock
For tomato broth
1 800g (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes
200 g (8 oz) tomato paste
About 4 cups of chicken stock (or as much as required to cover the vegetables once they’re in the pot)
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
Remove the tops of the peppers, seeds and white bits
Salt and pepper
How to do it
1. Prepare the vegetables: For the peppers, slice around the top of the pepper, near the stem and remove the “lid”, setting aside. Remove the seeds and pulp. For the zucchini, from the cut side, using a very small teaspoon or an apple corer, remove the seeds making sure you don’t pierce the bottom. For the onion, place the peeled onion in a pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then make a
Remove seeds from the zucchini
cut from the top to the bottom of the onion and carefully remove as many of the large outer layers of the onion as you can and set aside.
2. In a large wok or skillet, heat up the olive oil. Saute the chopped onion until soft. Add the garlic and saute for less than a minute, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the mince and cook until there is no longer any pink meat. (For vegetarian, omit the meat) Add the 100g tomato paste and mix. Add the rest of the herbs and spices and saute for another few minutes until it’s all releasing lots of wonderful aromas. Add the stock and mix.
Loosely add filling no higher than 1 cm from the top
3. Remove from the heat and add the rice, mixing well till combined. Add some of this mixture to each vegetable – fill to no higher than 1 cm from the top of the vegetable and fill it loosely as the rice will expand when cooking. For the onion, place one or two sheets of onion on a clean surface and put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle and loosely wrap the onion around the filling so that there is a double layer of onion around the filling. You can do the same for cabbage leaves that you have also boiled in water for a few minutes.
4. Place the peppers bottom side down in a large, wide pot, and place the “lids” of the peppers back on top (this is just for show). Add the rest of the vegetables in the spaces, making sure the openings are facing upward.
5. Mix together the ingredients for the tomato broth and pour over the vegetables, making sure the liquid covers all the vegetables. This is essential to ensure that all the rice cooks.
6. Cover the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the rice begins to overflow from the peppers and the vegetables are all cooked.
Serves about 6-8.
The Kosher Blogger 