STUFFED PEPPERS WITH RICE, PINE NUTS AND CURRANTS

[Guest guest]

Courtesy of Veggie Jews and " Pete Cohon "

 

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH RICE, PINE NUTS AND CURRANTS

 

Choose peppers that can stand up easily, as these are baked upright.

Serve the peppers garnished with lemon wedges.

 

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

 

3 onions, finely chopped

 

3â„4 cup long-grain white rice

 

1â„4 cup pine nuts

 

2 Tbsp. dried currants or raisins

 

2 small tomatoes, chopped

 

1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh mint or 2 tsp. dried

 

1â„4 tsp. ground allspice

 

1â„2 tsp. sugar

 

squeeze of lemon juice

 

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

23â„4 cups vegetable broth or water

 

6 or 7 fairly small red peppers (total weight about 1 to 11â„4 kg.)

 

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan, add onions and saute

over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add rice and pine nuts and stir 5

minutes over low heat. Add currants, tomatoes, mint, allspice, sugar,

lemon juice, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Add 11â„4 cups broth

and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes or

until liquid is absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning; rice will be

only partially cooked.

 

Preheat oven to 175º. Cut a slice off stem end of peppers, leaving

stem on. Reserve slice; remove core and seeds from inside pepper.

Spoon stuffing into peppers and cover with reserved slices. Stand

them in a baking dish in which they just fit. Add 11â„2 cups broth

or hot water to dish. Sprinkle peppers with 2 tablespoons oil. Cover

and bake for 1 hour or until peppers are tender, basting occasionally

and adding a little more water if needed. Serve hot or at room

temperature.

 

Makes 6 or 7 servings.

 

[From Faye Levy and the Jerusalem Post]