LENTIL, RICE AND KALE STUFFED PEPPERS, WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Don't you just luuuv stuffed peppers! Well, if you are my age, I bet, you do :-). They are without doubt one of my favourite childhood dishes. They bring back memories of hot summers in Austria: garden, ping pong table, badminton, old lopsided wooden shack, 'Tante Finni' hiding in neighbour's garden... and... paddling pool. Just big enough to provide some cool and lots of entertainment for us girls (well once you were finished filling it with buckets and buckets of hot water to take the edge off the cold from the garden hose), and most definitely big enough to create a big mess on the grass at the end of the day - what fun!

Made in the traditional Austrian way, my mum would stuff the peppers with rice and minced meat and then cook them in a spicy sweet and tangy tomato sauce, until soft, fragrant and tasty. Oh the wonderful pepper perfume filling the house, flowery, sweet and delicious! On opening the front door, you knew what was cooking.

Today, Austria is a thousand kilometres away, the back garden gave way for a terrace in the city, and I have outgrown the paddling pool - or so they tell me ;-) Anyway, with all the neighbours overlooking our small terrace-trial sanctuary, maybe just as well. But what I am really missing most this summer, is, well, summer. It's beginning of July, and apart from a couple of, mediocre at most, hot days, there's still none in sight - ouch!

So at least this dish brings some consolation, and the beautiful scents that fill the house are luckily all the same, even though this version is a little different from my mum's. Another remnant from this spring's Detox diet, it's more like its vegan cousin. But we like it so much, that we've made it several times since the diet. It's the healthy relative, but nonetheless hearty, gorgeous, and full of flavour, and leaves nothing to be desired. Below recipe is for four peppers, but I tend to make it in big quantities nowadays, as the peppers get better every day, and we don't have to fight over the left-overs they can be easily re-heated. I think they are best warm, rather than hot, as it brings out their flavour, but they are also nice served at room temperature. I think they would make a great side-dish for a BBQ, or packed in boxes for a picnic - the two more grown-up and less humiliating versions of fun these days :-)

Below ingredients are only guidelines. I have used mixed Camarque rice and brown rice before, but you could of course use white or Basmati. The lentils can be replaced with black beans (in this case just mash them with a fork to break them up a little before adding them to the other ingredients), and I have used other greens, such as broccoletti (broccoli rabe), and even spinach, instead of the kale. You can also change the quantities of the ingredients for the filling, but just make sure to add plenty of greens, as they add a lovely creaminess to the filling, as well as being healthy of course. Or stuff other vegetables, such as tomatoes or courgettes, they are just as nice. But don't skip the cumin; it goes so well with both the lentils and beans, and adds a lovely mediterranean note.

Serves 3-4: 

For the Peppers: 
125g mixed Camarque rice, rinsed and drained
olive oil
3 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 large tomato, finely diced, skin left on
350g blanched kale, or a big bunch of whatever greens you prefer
Small bunch of coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Organic vegetable stock cube, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly milled black pepper
1 medium tin brown lentils, drained and well rinsed
3-4 red or green medium peppers, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise

For the Sauce:
Olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
2 large tomatoes, finely diced, skin left on
1 tin tomatoes
Organic vegetable stock cube, to taste
Salt, to taste

Finely dice the tomato, carrot and shallots. Chop the coriander leaves and mince the garlic.

Wash the rice (this of course will depend on the type of rice used) and cook it in boiling salted water until soft for app. 18 mins, or according to packet instructions. Camarque or brown rice will take longer. Once cooked, drain the rice and set aside. Rinse the lentils under cold water using a colander, leave to drain well.

In a medium to large frying pan, fry the diced shallots with a pinch of salt in a little olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and fry for another minute. Add the diced carrots and tomato and keep on frying. Season with stock cube and black pepper.

Add the blanched kale and fry (if using fresh kale, clean and wash the kale, then blanch the leaves in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes). At the end, add the chopped coriander to the vegetable and stir under.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan). Put the vegetable mix together with the cooked rice and rinsed lentils into a large pot. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and stir well, then check for seasoning, adding more spices, salt or pepper as necessary.

Wash the peppers, then cut them in half lengthwise and remove the white skins and seeds. Season them with salt inside and out, then rub the outside with a little olive oil. Place them into an oiled ovenproof dish cut side up.

Stuff the peppers with the filling.

Cover the dish with alu foil, then bake the peppers in the pre-heated oven for app. 1 hour, or until the peppers are soft, i.e. their skin can easily be pierced with a small knife, and they start to shrivel just a little. Towards the end of cooking time, remove the foil and leave the peppers to brown and caramelise a little, paying attention that the lentils and rice on top don't dry out and get too hard.

While the peppers are cooking, prepare the tomato sauce. In a large pan, fry the chopped shallots with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat in a little olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the fresh, chopped and the tinned tomatoes. Season with vegetable stock. Leave to cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened a little. Check for seasoning and add more stock cube or salt as necessary.

Serve the peppers on top of the sauce in pre-warmed deep plates.

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LENTIL, RICE AND KALE STUFFED PEPPERS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Serves 3-4:

For the Peppers:

125g mixed Camarque rice, rinsed and drained

olive oil

3 shallots, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, finely diced

1 large tomato, finely diced, skin left on

350g blanched kale, or a big bunch of whatever greens you prefer

Small bunch of coriander leaves

1 tsp cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Organic vegetable stock cube, to taste

Salt, to taste

Freshly milled black pepper

1 medium tin brown lentils, drained and well rinsed

3-4 red or green medium peppers, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise

For the Sauce:

Olive oil

2 shallots, finely diced

2 large tomatoes, finely diced, skin left on

1 tin tomatoes

Organic vegetable stock cube, to taste

Salt, to taste

1. Prepare the vegetables: Finely dice the tomato, carrot and shallots. Chop the coriander leaves and mince the garlic.

2. Boil the rice and rinse the lentils: Wash the rice (this of course will depend on the type of rice used) and cook it in boiling salted water until soft for app. 18 mins, or according to packet instructions. Camarque or brown rice will take longer. Once cooked, drain the rice and set aside. Rinse the lentils under cold water using a colander, leave to drain well.

3. Fry the vegetables: In a medium to large frying pan, fry the diced shallots with a pinch of salt in a little olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and fry for another minute. Add the diced carrots and tomato and keep on frying. Season with stock cube and black pepper.

4. Add kale and coriander: Add the blanched kale and fry (if using fresh kale, clean and wash the kale, then blanch the leaves in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes). At the end, add the chopped coriander to the vegetable and stir under.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan).

6. Mix the ingredients and season: Put the vegetable mix together with the cooked rice and rinsed lentils into a large pot. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and stir well, then check for seasoning, adding more spices, salt or pepper as necessary.

7. Stuff the peppers: Wash the peppers, then cut them in half lengthwise and remove the white skins and seeds. Season them with salt inside and out, then rub the outside with a little olive oil. Place them into an oiled ovenproof dish cut side up. Stuff the peppers with the filling.

8. Bake: Cover the dish with alu foil, then bake the peppers in the pre-heated oven for app. 1 hour, or until the peppers are soft, i.e. their skin can easily be pierced with a small knife, and they start to shrivel just a little. Towards the end of cooking time, remove the foil and leave the peppers to brown and caramelise a little, paying attention that the lentils and rice on top don't dry out and get too hard.

9. Make the sauce: While the peppers are cooking, prepare the tomato sauce. In a large pan, fry the chopped shallots with a pinch of salt over medium-low heat in a little olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the fresh, chopped and the tinned tomatoes. Season with vegetable stock. Leave to cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened a little. Check for seasoning and add more stock cube or salt as necessary.

10. Serve: Serve the peppers on top of the sauce in pre-warmed deep plates.

Tips: 

- Don't cook the peppers for too long. They are nicest with a little 'bite'. But don't undercook them either, as they won't be as tasty and will not connect as well with the filling. You should be able to easily pierce their skin with a sharp knife and they should shrivel just a little. Don't let them shrivel up completely and get too soft. 

- The foil is important during cooking, as the upper layer of lentils and rice can get too hard if cooked at too high heat. Only remove the foil towards the end of cooking time to let the peppers brown and caramelise a little. 

- I like to buy Kale and other greens when in season and blanch and freeze them in portions for later. This way I just have to let them thaw a little. You can of course add fresh leaves to the pan, or blanch the greens as needed, it will just take a little longer, including the washing, cleaning, etc.

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