This is delicious. You will need a very big pot and small peppers to fit them all in. Yet again Honey & Co have not let us down with this fab recipe.
Wine Suggestion: try not to drink too heavy a wine with this as it might fight with the spices and red pepper flavours. We found a northern Italian Pinot Nero from Alto Adige / Südtirol made by Cantina Colterenzio was a good match. It provided a delightful play of cherry fruit and earthiness while balancing the freshness with youthful acidity.
Makshi – stuffed peppers with beef & rice – serves 4
- 8 small red peppers
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
FOR THE FILLING:
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250g beef mince
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground allspice
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 90g basmati rice
- 2 tomatoes, diced (about 200g)
- 1 small bunch of parsley, chop the leaves and reserve the stalks
FOR THE COOKING LIQUOR:
- 70g tomato purée
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
Cut around the top of each pepper, about 1 cam below the stalk, and take the top section off but don’t throw it away. Remove the seeds and white membrane from the inside of the peppers.
Arrange the peppers upright in a pan that can hold them snugly so they don’t topple over. Push the lemon and tomato wedges in around them to hold them in place. Also add the reserved parsley stalks.
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil over a medium heat until softened, then add the beef mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it has lost any pinkness and has gone crumbly. Add the salt and spices and mix well, then tip in the rice and fry for a minute. Add the diced tomato & chopped parsley. Take off the heat and mix well. Spoon this mixture into the peppers but don’t press it down too much as the rice will expand as it cooks.
Put the cooking liquor ingredients into a saucepan with 1 litre of water and bring to the boil. Pour the hot liquid over the pepper filled peppers, making sure some liquid gets into each one (we used a plastic funnel to do this). Put the pot containing the peppers over a high heat and bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes at a gentle simmer.
Check how much liquid is left in the pan (it should be about three-quarters full – if not top it up with more water). Baste the peppers with the cooking liquid and put the lid back on. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, then serve or keep for the following day (when they will taste even better). They reheat well in the microwave.
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