Mamma's stuffed capsicums with garlic dressing

Vasili’s Mamma teaches us how to prepare stuffed capsicums. If you'd like to try a variation of this dish, check out our Iranian stuffed capsicum recipe, filled with a combination of split peas, rice and lamb.

• makes

  10

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 10 capsicums (Californian Wonder)
• 100 ml olive oil, plus ¼ cup extra for baking
• 3 onions, grated
• 5 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 medium mushrooms, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/5 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 3 mint stems finely chopped
• 3 celery stems, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 fennel stems, finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes
• pinch of sugar
• spices of your choice
• 10 tbsp rice
• ¼ cup water

Mamma's garlic dressing

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¼ capsicum (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. 

Remove green stalks from capsicums and discard. Cut through the tops (head) of the capsicums, but don't cut off completely. (The tops will be used for capping after the capsicums are stuffed.) Use a spoon to remove the flesh and seeds from the capsicums. Discard the seeds and place the flesh in a bowl.  Mince the flesh with a fork and set aside for later.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and lightly fry the grated onions.

Add springs onions, mushroom, garlic, parsley, mint and celery to the pan stirring continuously while adding ingredients.

Now add the flesh from the capsicums, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add fennel and chopped tomato and a pinch of sugar.

Then add spices of your choice and dry rice to the frying plan.

Cook the mixture for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat when the ingredients are lightly cooked.

Scoop the mixture into the capsicums, stuffing each one to the brim and then covering with its cap.

Place stuffed capsicums on a baking tray and add the water and extra olive oil to the baking tray.

Combine the ingredients for mamma’s garlic dressing and spoon over capsicums.

Put capsicums in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.