Stuffed Peppers

Serves: To serve 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins

4 medium-sized - bell peppers (red or yellow)

4 tablespoons - olive oil

1 medium - onion

2 stalks - celery

½ lb - lean minced (ground) beef or lamb

2 tablespoons - tomato purée (paste)

2 tablespoons - mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, oregano)

- salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1 cup - rice

½ cup - grated Parmesan cheese

handful - breadcrumbs

1 cup - white wine and water (50%-50%)

Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and finely chop the celery. In a large saucepan, gently heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, covered, until soft (about 5-10 minutes), stirring often. Add the minced (ground) meat and sauté until browned. Add the tomato paste and fresh herbs, season well with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then cover and cook for 30 minutes adding a little vegetable stock as needed just to keep it moist and simmering.
Meanwhile, cook the rice. Cut off the tops of the peppers and removed the seeds from inside. Rub the outside of the peppers with a little olive oil.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked rice. Use this mixture to stuff each pepper. Top the stuffed peppers with parmesan and bread crumbs, followed by a drizzle of olive oil.
Place the peppers in a baking dish lined with lighty greased baking paper. Pour the white wine and stock mixture in the bottom of the dish, then cover and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 5 - 375°F - 190°C) for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for a further 20 minutes (or more) until the peppers are soft and golden brown.