Tomatoes and peppers filled with herbed trahanas and rice

Tomatoes and peppers filled with herbed trahanas and rice

Tomatoes and peppers filled with herbed trahanas and rice

SERVES 4

8 medium tomatoes

4 small green peppers

1 tsp caster sugar, plus a pinch

extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large courgette, grated

75g soured trahanas

50g basmati rice

50ml dry white wine

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

50g currants

50g pine nuts, roasted in a dry frying pan, plus extra for serving

2 tbsp dried white breadcrumbs

50g grated hard cheese (graviera, kefalotyri or parmesan)

feta cheese, to serve

a few fresh flat-leaf parsley and oregano leaves

  •  Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Slice off the tomato tops. Using a spoon, remove the flesh, chop it and put it into a bowl. Slice the tops off the peppers and discard the seeds. Chop the soft flesh to which the seeds are attached and add it to the chopped tomato. Sit the empty vegetables in a roasting tray. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar and drizzle a little oil inside each one.
  •  For the stuffing, heat a little oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until almost translucent. Add the garlic to cook for another minute. Then add the courgette to cook for a couple of minutes more before adding the soured trahanas and rice. Cook until the rice is transparent and the trahanas is no longer in clumps.
  •  Now add the wine and cook until it is almost evaporated. Add the chopped insides of the vegetables, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée and remaining 1 tsp sugar and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the liquid has been absorbed, the stuffing is ready. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fresh chopped herbs, currants and pine nuts.
  • Spoon the rice mix into the tomatoes and peppers, leaving a little room at the top for the filling to expand. Cover with the vegetable tops then season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. If there is any stuffing left over, put it around the vegetables in the roasting tray. Pour a couple of glasses of water into the tray, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, until nicely browned.
  •  Serve hot, warm or cold, with slices of feta and sprinkled with olive oil, parsley, oregano and pine nuts.

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