Stuffed peppers Turkish style

This is a great way of using up leftover cooked lamb or beef, because it is so unusual. It’s not really a Turkish recipe, but you can believe it is because the ingredients are so Turkish and Turkish cuisine uses a lot of stuffed vegetables. It takes a fair amount of preparation time but is well worth the effort. I serve this as an appetizer, but you can make it as a main dish. As an appetizer, one pepper per guest is good, but as an entrée, serve two. This will serve 4 people as an appetizer, just increase the quantities as needed for more.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A sharp knife (small paring knife)
• A cutting board
• A large sauce pan
• A skillet or heavy frying pan
• A casserole dish with a lid

Ingredients:

• A cup of long grain white rice
• 2 cups of water
• 4 medium sized red or green peppers
• ¾ lb of ground lamb or beef leftovers
• 2 onions
• peeled and chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped small
• 14 oz can of tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons raisins or currants
• ½ teaspoon of dried cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon marjoram
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• A large bottle of wine

First, open the wine, pour and sip. Now, preheat the oven to 375F. Take the saucepan, and add a little olive oil. Heat the oil and add the rice (washed and drained) fry for a couple of minutes and coat with opil. Add 2 cups of water and a oinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Check the cooking time on the packet.