Stuffed bell peppers with nuts & sultanas

There's something about nuts that makes me crave them every second day. To stop the (bad!) habit of continuously snacking on the couch I try to incorporate them into real meals. One succesful attempt is this dish with a tempting oriental flavour.


Nutty stuffed bell peppers for four
8 medium sized green bell peppers
1 cup of rice
1 cup of toasted chopped mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds)
2/3 cup black sultanas
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes
2 cups of vegetable stock
lots of fresh parsley
lots of fresh mint
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of chili flakes
salt & pepper

Cut away the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds. Keep the tops, they will serve as lids.

Fry the diced onion in olive oil until it turns golden. Finely cut the garlic and add in the pan. Toss in the rice and cook for a few minutes until it turns translucent. Time to throw in half the chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup of stock. Stir and turn off heat.

Add the nuts, sultanas and fresh herbs. Season and don't forget the cinnamon.

Stuff the peppers with the mixture, leaving a small gap on top. The rice will increase its volume while it cooks and you don't want losing in the pot all the good stuffing. Snuggly fit the peppers into a casserole and pour over the rest of stock. Fit the remaining tomatoes in between the gaps.

Cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Check from time to time the level of liquid, the rice will absorb it quite fast. Add more stock if you have to. Serve the cute peppers with mint & yoghurt.

This recipe makes 0.3kilos/person of pure goodness.

Penne alla soprana

I do nick recipes, but this one was faithfully handed over to me by an extraordinary woman who still happily cooks at 84 years old. Lucia Stanescu has had a long career as one of the greatest sopranas in the world and meanwhile found time to use her artistic flair in many culinary creations.

Like many others, this recipe was put together in her sunny italian kitchen, on top of a woody hill. Not far from this hill lays a traditional farm which produces one of the tastiest extra virgin olive oils I ever tried. It really comes to life in dishes like this.


Penne alla soprana for four
1 pack of penne (I used whole wheat)
4 big ripe tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 dried peperoncino
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
100g grated Grana Padano
100g grated Pecorino Romano
200g double cream
bunch of fresh basil
sale & pepe

I always start by boiling salted water for the pasta. Do so. Meanwhile, peel & cut the garlic cloves in two halves and heat them up in a spoonful of olive oil. When the flavour starts coming up, add the chopped tomatoes, the peperoncino and half the basil leaves. Leave to cook on medium heat about 5 minutes.

When the tomatoes are soft, take away from heat and add the grated Pecorino. Stir until it melts. Now keep your pan warm while you deal with draining the pasta.

Tip the penne into the sauce, add the grated Grana, the double cream & a splash of olive oil and mix until the sauce coats everything. Taste for salt and pepper.

Scatter basil leaves on top and help yourself to more parmesan.

This recipe makes 0.35kilos/person of pure goodness.

Mango & spinach summer salad

This deceptively simple salad has got the right bold colours to make an impression at the table and a fantastic taste.

Using spinach means you can serve this salad at a party or barbecue and the leaves will still look fresh after many hours (in theory. In practice, the salad will just fly off the table, leaving no time for any kind of vegetal decay).

Mango & spinach salad for four

4 handfuls of young spinach leaves
1 big firm mango
bunch of strawberries
1 red onion

Dressing
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of milk
juice from half a lemon
1 teaspoon of grainy mustard
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of poppy seeds
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Peel and cut the mango in thin slices. Cut the strawberries in halves or quarters. Thinly slice the onion. Mix with the spinach leaves.

To prepare the dressing, throw the ingredients together in a small jar and give it a good shake. Add more milk if the sauce is too thick. Pour over the salad and dig in.

Though I never tried I have a hunch that this salad would work just as amazingly with peaches and blueberries.

This recipe makes 0.2kilos/person of pure goodness.