Stuffed Green peppers
Bzar Mimli
Pray, what would green peppers and George Clooney, have in common? At face value you would think: ‘Duh’. Ha. In fact if you dig deep, you’ll find lots of similarities.
We’re not in any way trying to imply that the green peppers are the sexiest vegetables alive. Of course not. But it’s interesting to note that George Clooney was a late bloomer. He started being noticed in his late 30s as Dr. Doug Ross in the teleseries ER and only became household name when close to his 40s.
And so it was with the green peppers. Christopher Columbus brought them to Europe from South America some time in 1493, but they were in fact quite slow to catch on. They must have been considered quite the humble vegetable as food writers of subsequent centuries pointedly ignored them.
It was not until the eighteenth century that the true potential of peppers was finally acknowledged and they were established as a basic in Mediterranean cookery. So in culinary terms, the green pepper did a Clooney.
Of course one can go on comparing. Both actor and vegetable have that certain smoky sweetness, both ooze a healthy-looking positive glow and are both a pleasant treat with their, err, bright little bodies.
And what about versatility? Clooney is a man of many talents – he’s an actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. The green pepper with its youthful, rather bitter taste, is as flexible as no other vegetable: It can be stuffed, baked, grilled, roasted, sautéed or even eaten raw.
Yes, green peppers can be cooked a different way every day of the year. And they go wonderfully well with so many other Mediterranean flavours: olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, anchovies, olives, capers, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.
Green peppers don’t need any blockbuster fuss or supporting side-dishes. They are perfect stars in their own right.
Serves 4
Cooking time: 20 min
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients:
4 medium green peppers
2 large can tuna
150g sun-dried tomatoes
150g stoned olives
1 tin anchovies
4 tomatoes
200g capers
breadcrumbs
olive oil
garlic
parsley
mint
basil
Method:
The peppers are left whole but deseeded. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together. Stuff the peppers and place them in a pan with some olive oil. Cook gently turning them slowly every now and again to ensure they are evenly cooked. Eat hot or cold.