Stuffed peppers by Jani Kazaltzis

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely, sauté the onion in 3 tbsp olive oil, then add the garlic.

Cut the tomatoes into cubes and add them as soon as the onion turns slightly golden.

Then you can add the minced meat and mash it well until it is fine and crumbly.

Add the tomato paste and let it cook for a moment, then add the fresh tomatoes.

Stir in finely chopped chili pepper, cinnamon (shhh, secret ingredient for a nice deep flavor), and the stock cube.

Let it simmer for a while and then add all the finely chopped fresh herbs, along with 6 spoons of rice, half a glass of water, taste and possibly season, and let it simmer under the lid for about 15 minutes; the rice should still be al dente.

Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the seed membranes inside and set them aside, rub each pepper with some oil and sprinkle some sugar over them, shhhhh, another secret…

Drizzle a baking dish (with lid) with olive oil and 150 ml of water, fill the peppers about an inch below the rim and put the tops back on, distribute the rest of the filling in the dish.

Put the lid on and let it cook gently for 2 hours, feel free to check if you need to raise the temperature a bit, the peppers will rise beautifully.

Let cool for 5 minutes and serve. Can also be eaten cold, or the next day with a simple salad and cubes of feta.

Enjoy this authentic dish from Greek cuisine with family or friends!