Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers

Biber Dolmasi
Originally uploaded by Ashley van Gerven.

Ingredients

12 large green bell peppers (cleaned, tops cut off, seeds and membranes removed)
250 gr. ground meat
1 medium onion (chopped)
½ cup rice
½ bunch fresh parsley (minced)
½ bunch fresh dill (optional)
3 tomatoes (chopped)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon tomato paste
½ tablespoon red pepper paste
1 dessert spoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or 1 dessertspoon dried mint
1 tomato (thinly sliced)

Directions

Wash the rice twice and soak the rice in salted (1 dessert spoon) lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. Then put them into a rice strainer and drain the water.

In a mixing bowl, combine drained rice, ground meat, chopped onion, minced parsley, minced dill, tomato and pepper paste, olive oil, chopped tomatoes. Season with salt, black pepper and mint, mix well.

Stuff the peppers with the mixture. Keep in mind to stuff only ¾ of pepper cups. Because during the cooking rice will enlarge and fill the cover. Put tomato slices on top of them.

Place stuffed bell peppers in a large saucepan. Pour enough water to reach depth of 2 inches (water level is slightly below the peppers) and cook over low heat until tender, do not overcook. As an alternative cooking technique, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the stuffed peppers in a shallow baking dish. Bake until fork tender, turning the stuffed peppers halfway through the cooking time.

Serve with yogurt and garlic dressing. To prepare yogurt and garlic dressing, pour 2 cups yogurt into a small bowl, add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and whisk together.

Have a good appetite!