Red Peppers, Moroccan Style

We love stuffing vegetables of all types, but particularly peppers. The filling for these comes from one of our favorite meatball recipes Meatballs with Preserved Lemon that I have been making before we ever went to Morocco. If you like more heat – add more spices or you favorite hot sauce Use any color peppers you like for this but try to find ones that are ‘squarish’ so they will lie flat for stuffing. If you don’t like or have couscous serve them with rice…. or nothing at all. Print Red Peppers, Moroccan Style Preserved lemon adds a unique citrus flavor to many of the foods of Morocco. The rind is used and is edible (and delicious). Author: Katie Zeller Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Yield: 2 servings 1x Category: Main Dish Vegetables Scale 1x2x3x Ingredients Stuffing: 6oz ground beef (180gr mince)  1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 4oz (120gr) cremini mushrooms, cleaned, chopped 3oz (90gr) feta, crumbled 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp powdered ginger 2 tsp olive oil 2 large red bell peppers, cut in half, seeds removed Sauce: 2oz (60gr) cremini mushrooms, cleaned, chopped 1/2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp olive oil 3/4 cup beef stock 1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp removed and rind chopped 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water Couscous: 1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) couscous  3/4 cup (6oz, 180ml) beef broth Instructions Cook peppers in rapidly boiling water for 5 minutes.  Remove and put into a baking dish that will just hold them.  Heat oil and spices in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, onion, mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes.  Add beef and sauté until cooked through breaking it up as it cooks.  Stir feta into beef.  Spoon mixture into the pepper halves, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400F (200C). Heat oil and chili powder in nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and sauté until well browned.  Add lemon and stock to skillet. Heat to boiling.  Add cornstarch mixture, stirring until thickened. For couscous: Heat beef broth to boiling.  Put couscous in a medium bowl.  When broth is boiling pour over couscous, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork when ready.  To serve: Put peppers on a bed of couscous and spoon sauce over. Notes When you cut the peppers, be careful so that they will lie flat. Preserved lemon is simple whole lemons that have been preserved in salt. Easy to do at home….. Keywords: stuffed peppers, red peppers, Moroccan style I’m traveling at the moment… meeting up with family for our 5th family reunion. Details later. I don’t plan on working while I’m gone (it’s called vacation, for those who don’t know) so I’m scheduling the recipes in advance – some old, some new. I’ll just leave you with some informative tidbits from the past to round out my posts…. Herbs are leaves, either fresh or dried. Spices are the rest of the plant: seeds, stems, roots, bark, buds, berries; and are most often dried. Spices are very often used in cuisine-specific blends such as curry powder (Indian), harissa (North African) or chili powder (Mexican). You can buy blends or make your own. Here is some starting information on what spices work together: Allspice: Complements root vegetables, tomato-based sauces, roast meats, shellfish, pickles, cakes, pies.  Used in sweet spice blends, curry powders, meat seasonings, tagine blends, jerk seasoning. Caraway: Complements cheeses, pork, vegetables (cabbage, potatoes).  Used in garam masala, sausage seasoning, tandoori spice blends. Cardamom, green: Complements pastries, sweet dishes, cakes, breads, rices, curries.  Used in curry powder, garam masala, tagine spice blends, ras el hanout. Celery Seed: Complements vegetable juices, seafood, eggs, salad dressings, cheeses, poultry.  Used in seasoning blends for roast meats. Chili: Complements Mexican sauces, Asian stir-fries, curries, almost everything else.  Used in curry powder, taco seasonings, pickling spices, chili powder, all-purpose seasoning blends. Cinnamon and Cassia: Complements cakes, sweet baked goods, stewed fruits and puddings, curries, Moroccan tagines.  Used in curry powder, sweet spice blends, ras el hanout, garam masala, Cajun spice blends, barbecue spices. Cloves: Complements cakes, sweet baked goods, stewed fruits and puddings, curries, Moroccan tagines.  Used in curry powder, sweet spice blends, ras el hanout, garam masala, tagine spice blends, Chinese five-spice. Coriander (seeds): Complements curries, cakes and breads, fruit pies, chicken, seafood.  Used in curry powder, sweet spice blends, ras el hanout, tagine spice blends, harissa paste. Share PinterestFacebookTwitterYummlyLinkedinemail Related