Monday, April 19, 2010

an old friend - stuffed capsicums and zucchinis



There are many versions of this dish but this is the one that I grew up with. The red capsicums in this dish, which impart a beautiful sweetness, are traditionally served with yoghurt and the zucchinis (usually grey) are served with lemon wedges. But rules were meant to be broken! We like it with both. Enjoy!

First of all, get your saucepan out, whack in some oil and get it over a low heat. Chop up one brown onion finely and throw it in. Stir it every now and then. You want them to soften and not burn. Pre-heat your oven to 190C. Meanwhile, grab your capsicums or zucchinis or both. Take out the centre of the zucchini with a sharp knife. Cut a hole in the top of the capsicum, removing the stalk,the seeds and membranes. Set aside. When the onion is ready add 500g beef mince (or lamb mince) and cook through. Add 500g brown rice and stir through the cooked mince.Turn off heat. Add quite a bit of salt and pepper and stir through. Get your oven proof dish out and place your capsicums, standing up. Fill them (and the zucchinis if using)with the meat/rice mix. Place the remainder around the capsicums and underneath the zuccninis. Now add 2 1/2 cups cold water over the mix, ensuring that you don't put any water into the capsicums or else they will collapse when you take them out. Put on the lid or top with a double layer of foil and pop into an oven at 190C and cook for 90 mins.

After 90 mins, take off the lid or foil (don't discard) add another cup of water, this time the water should be hot. Pop the lid/foil on again and cook for a further 40 mins. Take off the lid/foil. It should be lovely and crispy. The top rice on the capsicums will not cook all the way through but they are completely edible.

Serve 1 capsicum or 2 zucchinis per person with a little extra meat/rice mix and some lemon wedges and greek yoghurt. Oh and make sure you give it all a good sprinkling with freshly grinded black pepper. This would serve 4 - 6 people.

From my family, to yours.

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