Töltött paprika

Ingredients

• 8pointed pepperfor stuffing, cored
• 1⅓ lbGround meatpork, for the filling
• 3½ ozRicepre-cooked or cooked, binds the filling
• 2Onionfinely diced, sautéed
• 2 clovesGarliccrushed
• 1Eggraw, to bind the filling
• ½ cupSour creammakes the filling juicy
• 3½ ozCheeseTrappista, in the filling or on top
• 2 tspPaprika powdersweet
• 1 bunchParsleyfinely chopped, for filling and garnish
• 2 tbspOil or lardfor sautéing and drizzling
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperground, to taste
• 4¼ cupsTomato passatafor the braising sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsptomato pastebriefly fried along (optional)
• 1 tbspsugarbalances the acidity of the tomato sauce (optional)
• 8Potatoesside dish, boiled in the skin (optional)
• 11½ ozChicken liverfinely chopped, filling instead of ground meat (optional)
• 1Bread rollsoaked in milk, squeezed out, as binder (optional)
• 3½ ozGreen peasyoung, briefly boiled, in the filling (optional)
• 7 ozMushroomssliced, sautéed along (optional)
• 3 tspMarjoramdried, seasons the filling (optional)
• 1Celery stalkfinely diced, in the sauce (optional)

Method

1. Wash the peppers, cut off the tops or cut out the cores, and seed them carefully so they hold the filling.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then sweat them in oil or lard over medium heat with a pinch of salt until translucent.
3. Add the ground pork, brown it, and season with salt, pepper and sweet paprika powder.
4. Stir in the cooked rice, most of the chopped parsley, the egg, the sour cream and half of the grated cheese, then taste the filling and season it generously.
5. Fill the peppers with the mixture and set them side by side in a baking dish or a wide pan.
6. For the sauce, briefly fry the tomato paste in a pot in a little oil or lard, then pour in the passata and season with salt, pepper and the sugar; spoon the sauce over the peppers.
7. Cover and braise in the oven preheated to 355 °F for 25 to 40 minutes (or covered over low heat on the stove), until the peppers are soft, then continue uncovered so the sauce reduces and the surface takes on colour. If you want boiled potatoes alongside, cook them in their skins in salted water meanwhile.
8. Scatter with the remaining grated cheese, let it melt briefly, and serve sprinkled with the rest of the parsley — with the potatoes, bread, sliced tomatoes or salad.

Tips and variations

Instead of rice, you can bind the filling with a bread roll soaked in milk and squeezed out. A lovely variation swaps the ground meat for finely chopped chicken liver, with mushrooms, young peas, grated smoked cheese and Trappista, and hard-boiled egg. Dried marjoram seasons the filling nicely, and finely diced celery stalk works well in the sauce. In a hurry? Go for the "lazy" (or "fake") stuffed peppers: shape the mixture into meatballs, cut the peppers into pieces and braise everything together in tomato sauce. It also works without tomato sauce: just drizzle with oil and steam under foil in the oven. California peppers filled with a ground meat and rice ragout, scattered with cheese, come out well in the air fryer at 170 °C. To serve: boiled potatoes on the side, or sourdough bread for dipping into the tomato sauce.