Riverford Companion - Spring and Summer Cooking With a Veg Box: Smoky quinoa-stuffed peppers with sheep’s cheese
Serves 2
Ingredients
*2 large or 3 smaller red peppers, cut in half lengthways, seeds and membranes removed
*3 tbsp sunflower or light olive oil, for roasting and frying
*1 onion, finely chopped
*100g quinoa
*1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
*¼–½ tsp smoked paprika, depending on how much you like it
*1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, or use ripe, diced fresh tomatoes, peeled if you prefer
*150g Wootton White or other salty vegetarian sheep’s cheese
*small bunch of parsley, finely chopped salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat the oven to 200˚C/Gas 6. Put the peppers in a baking dish, toss with a little oil to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20–30 minutes, depending on size, while you make the filling.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion.
3. Fry on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to stop it catching. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa well in a sieve under cold water.
4. After the 10 minutes, add the garlic and quinoa to the onion. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Add the smoked paprika, tomatoes and half a tinful of water. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Bring the pan to a low boil, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Keep a good eye on the liquid and the heat; you want the quinoa to absorb the liquid so you’re left at the end with a risotto-like consistency, but not for the pan to boil dry – add a splash more water if needed.
7. Once the quinoa has cooked, remove from the heat. Take the peppers out of the oven, fill their cavities with the quinoa mixture and return them to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.
8. Remove the dish from the oven. Divide the peppers between serving plates, crumble over some of the cheese and scatter over the parsley.
Riverford Companion: Spring and Summer Cooking With a Veg Box by Guy Watson (Riverford Organic Farmers ) £16.99
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