Bell peppers stuffed with savory ground meat and rice
Ingredients
5-6 large bell peppers (for stuffing)
150 g ground meat
1 tea glass of rice
1/2 tea glass of oil
1 large onion
1 tomato (grated, or half a water glass of tomato sauce)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tomato (for capping the dolmas)
1-1.5 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in hot water
1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped
A few teaspoons of butter
Method
Wash the peppers, cut off the tops, and scoop out the seeds. Set the tops aside.
Wash the rice and drain. Finely dice the onion and chop the parsley.
In a large bowl, knead together the ground meat, rice, onion, grated tomato, tomato paste, oil, parsley, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
Lightly salt the insides of the peppers. Fill each pepper about three-quarters full — the rice needs room to expand.
Cap each pepper with a tomato slice and arrange them snugly upright in a pot so they can't tip over.
Dissolve the tomato paste in hot water and pour over the peppers until the liquid comes halfway up their sides.
Dot a few teaspoons of butter over the top. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook 40-45 minutes until the peppers soften and the rice is tender.
Rest 10 minutes off the heat before serving so the filling settles.
Notes
Don't pack the peppers too tight — the rice needs room to expand.
The butter on top is mom's trick for extra flavor.
The peppers are done when they change color and the rice grains elongate.
