by Claudia Roden from Med: A Cookbook (Ebury)
Photography: Susan Bell
I have spent years stuffing vegetables in all kinds of ways – with rice, bulgur, meat, cheese. In my family’s culture labouring over food was a way of expressing love for family and honouring guests, and stuffed vegetables was one of those labour-intensive foods. Now, what matters to me is to offer something that delights, and my friends are happier when a dish is quick and easy because they want to make it themselves. These stuffed peppers are quick to make and the stuffing is essentially Mediterranean. Use long Romano peppers.
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 Romano peppers, cut in half lengthways and seeded
6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
6 good quality black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted and chopped
1 tbsp tiny capers in brine, drained and squeezed
Small bunch (15g) of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
40g fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Line a roasting tin with foil and arrange the peppers cut-side up on the foil. Roast for about 30 minutes until they are soft.
Leave to cool.
Mix all the remaining ingredients together to make a stuffing. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, put a little stuffing into each and serve at room temperature.
