Stuffed Bell Pepper

There was a big discount of red bell peppers in grocery store nearby. I didn't need it or had a plan to make a dish out of it either. I don't even really like it. But I bought 2 of them anyway. I just couldn't resist the  price. 2 Bells peppers are definitely too many for me. I usually only buy 1 small bell pepper, cut it into small pieces and mix it with any kind of dish such as Mexican chili, or stir fry vegetables. Now, I have 2 big bell peppers. So, I decided to make a dish using bell peppers as the main ingredients. After spending 30 minutes in front of my computer, I decided to make stuffed bell peppers. It is easy to make and I think I have all the ingredients on my kitchen anyway. So, why not? :-)

I only need ground beef, cooked rice (i was using leftover white rice), egg, cheese, and a lot of spices. Mix all the ingredients, and stuff them well into the bell peppers. Drizzle it with olive oil, add grated cheese on the top of it, and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. When the pepper is almost done, I was a bit terrified. The smell of the pepper was very strong. I was not sure if i will like it because i was never eat 1 big bell peppers by myself without mixing it with another vegetables. I made a slice it and try it. Hey! It was good. The sweetness of bell pepper came out, blended with the meat, and increased the taste of the meat. The flavor of the bell pepper it self was not as strong as I expected before. It sweet, soft, and no unpleasant flavor at all. I like it and definitely going to make it again next time. And maybe I will try different spices.

Ingredients :

• 2 Bell peppers
• 200 grams ground beef
• 150 grams cooked rice.
• 1/2 medium onion, minced.
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
• 1 egg
• 4 tbs tomato sauce
• 2 tbs worchester sauce
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (about 100 grams) grated cheese 
• 3 tbs chopped basil and parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• Olive oil

Preparation :

1. Preheat oven at 180 C (356 F).
2. Cut the top of bell peppers (Use it for garnish later), clean the seeds and the inside membranes of the bell pepper. Place it on a ovenproof dish (Including the top part). 
3. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Add about 4 tbs of olive oil and mix again.  (leave about 1/4 cup of grated cheese for next step)
4. Season it well with salt and pepper.
5. Stuff well the empty bell pepper with meat mixture.
6. Add grated cheese on the top of it.  
7. Drizzle the stuffed peppers with generous amount of olive oil
8. Put the stuffed peppers into the oven and bake them for about 25-30 minutes. 
9. Remove the bell peppers from the oven and they are ready to be served.