Pimentos Relleños (Stuffed Peppers)

When I saw that Blazing Hot Wok's Regional Recipes Roundup for September was Spain, I knew I had to participate this time. I'd discovered her site a few weeks ago, but wasn't going to be able to make it for the last round-up (China), due to some time and budget constraints. You know the drill. 


BUT: I love all things Meditarranean (food-wise at least) and when these Pimentos Relleños caught my eye... Well you try looking at them and not being tempted to gobble... er make them.

The crunchy almonds are perfectly offset by the sweet raisins and herbs. All wrapped up in rice and stuffed into a greenpepper. Look out for some more Spanish cuisine in the following weeks - I've got a couple more up my sleeve...

Pimentos Relleños (Stuffed Peppers)

Adapted from The Complete Spanish Cookbook

Serves 4

1/2 cup brown rice

2 tablespoons raisins

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 onion, chopped

100g (2/3 cup) almonds, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp dried mint (or 2 tbsp fresh)

2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tbsp fresh)

salt and pepper, to taste

2 large greenpeppers, halved and deseeded

1 1/2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Put rice in a bowl, together with raisins, add a cup of water and cook until the water is absorbed, the rice is fluffy and the raisins are plump. (This takes about 18 minutes on high in my microwave.)

3. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat, add garlic and onion and saute for a few minutes, until translucent.

4. Add the nuts, tomato, mint and origanum and fry another minute. Remove from heat and add to the cooked rice. Season to taste and add a little bit of water if the mixture looks too dry. 

5. Arrange greenpepper halves on a baking tray and fill with the rice mixture.

6. Spoon breadcrumbs over the top and drizzle with remaining olive oil.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, until peppers are soft but still holds their shape.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 286.6, Total Fat 18.6 g, Saturated Fat 1.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3.8g, Monounsaturated Fat 11.9 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 15.6 mg, Potassium 562.5 mg, Total Carbohydrate 26.6 g, Dietary Fiber 6.4 g, Sugars 1.2 g, Protein 7.9 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 298.3 %, Manganese 57.1 %, Vitamin E 37.2 %, Magnesium 25.5 %, Copper 23.8 %, Phosphorus 19.0 %