Stuffed Peppers with Rainbow Chard, Beef, Leeks, Pine Nuts and Currants

Mains

Main Ingredient: Vegetables
Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 1 ½ hrs
Serves: 4-6
Recipe by: Le Creuset

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium red peppers
3 medium yellow peppers
Salt and pepper
For the stuffing:
1 large leek, diced
1 teaspoon ground allspice
250g rainbow chard, stalks sliced finely and leaves roughly chopped
75g long-grain rice
450g minced beef (not too lean)
75g baby roma tomatoes, diced
185ml chicken stock
15g parsley, chopped
30g currants
30g pine nuts
For the sauce:
2 bay leaves
100g baby tomatoes, halved
250ml chicken stock
To serve:
Greek yoghurt or labneh
Lemon wedges
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Bread

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Main Ingredient: Vegetables
Prep Time: 35 min
Cook Time: 1 ½ hrs
Serves: 4-6
Recipe by: Le Creuset

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These delicious red and yellow peppers are filled with chard, rice and beef stuffing. Rainbow chard is a great leafy green vegetable that is often seen at farmers markets and in keen gardeners’ gardens and is now becoming easily available in supermarkets. It’s low in calories but is full of of antioxidants and vitamins, making it a healthy choice when cooking.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C
Cut the tops off the peppers, de-seed and remove any membrane. Over a medium heat, heat the casserole with one tablespoon light olive oil and cook the peppers on their sides, turning frequently to colour slightly and soften a little. This should take about 3 minutes. Remove the peppers from the casserole onto a plate and leave to one side. Reduce the heat to a low to medium temperature.
For the stuffing add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the casserole and cook the leeks until soft and lightly coloured, this should take about 5 minutes. Put these into a large bowl.
Return the casserole to a low to medium heat, add another tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and add the rice and chard stalks. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the allspice, stirring for about 30 seconds, then add 185ml chicken stock. Season and place the lid on and cook for about 8 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the chard leaves to this and pop the lid back on and allow them to wilt in the steam for a few minutes. Add this mixture to the leeks.
Add the diced tomatoes, parsley, minced beef, currants and pine nuts to the bowl and season well.
Stuff the peppers with the mixture.
Clean the casserole if you wish before heating with the rest of the olive oil and add the halved baby tomatoes, bay leaves and 250ml of chicken stock for the sauce. Season and then put the peppers into the casserole and place the pepper lids on. Put the lid on the casserole and bring the stock to the boil over medium heat. Place the casserole into the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 200°C/ Fan 180°C and cook the peppers for about another 30 minutes until nicely coloured and cooked through.
Serve the peppers with the cooking juices (which you can boil down to thicken if you wish), a dollop of yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon juice and the bread.