Overview.

There’s all sorts of fruit and vegetables that can be stuffed with this mixture; onions, apples, pears, tomatoes and of course peppers, amongst others. I’m a big fan of mixing sweet and savoury flavours into main dishes, which is something of a signature to middle eastern and north African cuisine.

We don’t have bell peppers this year so I’ve cut our long peppers cross ways, like boats, which works just as well. Mohammed, one of our old rock masons who helped with the build of the farm, came over to tread some of our grapes by foot no less. The molasses he created are an extraordinary result and suit this dish wonderfully.

Note to self, I must work out how to make pomegranate molasses. I bought some when in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan and it was simply delicious……. And yes, the food of Kurdistan is another wonder of the world.

Process.

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

For the rice, heat the olive oil in a large tajine with a lid and stir in the onion and sugar followed by the sunflower seeds and raisins. Add the cinnamon, ras al hanout, dried mint and passata followed by the rice, ensuring to mix and combine well.

Add a cup and a half of water, season and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, making sure the rice absorbs the water but remains firm, then add the herbs.

Slice the peppers, either tops or slithers for creating “boats” and fill with the rice mixture. Transfer the filled peppers to another open tajine (you can never have too many tajines that’s what I say) and place in the oven.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and 3 tbs of water and pour this over the peppers before placing them in the oven for about an hour, checking regularly, until the juice has caramelized.

Spoon the remaining juices over the peppers and add the grape molasses before serving. Yum!