Bell Peppers Stuffed With Couscous, Pine Nuts and Raisins
Bell peppers were created hollow so that you could stuff them with whatever tickles your fancy.
There are tonnes of options to choose from. Common stuffing ingredients are: rice, all kinds of meat, fish, seafood, nuts, cheese, mushrooms and other vegetables. You can have quite a bit of fun concocting your own combinations!
Although these peppers take a bit of work to prepare they are well worth the effort. I have to warn you though; you won’t be able to stop after just one. In fact, I had two at a time and if my stomach had an unlimited capacity I would have carried on eating until the whole lot was finished.
Bell Peppers Stuffed With Couscous, Pine Nuts and Raisins
Serves 4
Preparation: 25 mins – Cooking: 30 mins
Preparation: 25 mins – Cooking: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 6 peppers
- 1 red onion
- 25g (1 oz) butter
- 250ml (8 fl oz) vegetable stock
- 175g (6 oz) quick-cook couscous
- 5ml (1 tsp) olive oil
- 25g (1 oz) raisins
- 25g (1 oz) pine nuts
- 30ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh mint
- 15ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg yolk
- Make a slit in the side of each pepper and carefully remove the core and seeds.
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the onion and cook until softened.
- Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl. Pour the stock over, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
- Fluff up the couscous with a fork then stir in the oil, onion, raisins, pine nuts, mint and balsamic vinegar. Season generously and stir in the egg yolk to bind the mixture.
- Using a teaspoon, three-quarters fill the peppers with the couscous mixture; do not over-fill as the couscous will swell during baking. Brush the peppers with oil and bake at 200°C (fan 180°C/390°F/gas 6) for 30-35 minutes until tender.
- Serve the stuffed peppers warm or cold.
Serving Suggestion
- Serve the peppers as a side dish with meat or simply enjoy with a tangy dressed salad.
Lovely photo – I love how colourful bell peppers are. I’ve made something similar using rice instead of couscous (I think this recipe originates from Spain), but I I’ll try couscous in future when time is tight. Thanks for the recipe.
by TheWoman
on 25. Oct, 2009