These Romano Peppers from the Isle of Wight Tomato Stall are truly spectacular – and are the ideal vehicle for creating a delicious meal using up your leftovers. Any remains can be quickly transformed – with rice, beans or pulses, combined with gently fried onion and garlic, and enhanced with herbs and spices. You can then used chopped veg, or diced or minced meat, topped with grated parmesan or mozzarella to create a satisfying meal that will look pretty special tucked up in these romano peppers. Of course, you don’t have to use leftovers, use your judgement and you can be flexible with the ingredients, but here’s a recipe that you can use as a guide:
Stuffed Isle of Wight Romano Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large Romano peppers
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 400 grams minced beef
- 100 grams chorizo (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 100 grams rice (uncooked)
- 1½ teaspoons chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 75 grams cheese (grated)
- 1 salt
- 1 pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Cook the rice in a small pan according to instructions
- Whilst the rice is cooking you can get on with making the filling. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic and fry until softened. Add the minced beef stirring until it has browned.
- Add the chorizo, stir in and fry for a few minutes, then add the chilli and cumin stirring for another minute, then add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- To prepare the peppers, chop off the tops just below the stem and slice in half, removing the seeds. Place in a baking tray
- Add 4 tablespoons of rice to the beef mixture and mix well. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and drizzle with olive oil, making sure there’s a bit of oil underneath the peppers
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, sprinkle the cheese onto the mixture and return to the oven until the cheese has melted.
- Serve with a green leaf salad.