Colorful Bell Peppers with Almond-Herb Pilaf
/What are they like?
- Refreshing
- Full of flavor (lemon, olive oil, herbs & almonds)
- Bursting with color
Recipe
Serves 2-4, 15 min prep, 40 min cooking
This recipe can easily be doubled.
Pilaf
1/2 cup long grain rice
scant 1 cup water
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp slivered almonds
Peppers
2 bell peppers, any color
1/2 cup water
juice from one lemon, plus more for serving
2 tbsp olive oil
Topping
1 cup plain yogurt OR plain tahini* (or both!)
1 clove raw garlic crushed, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
To prepare the pilaf, heat a 2 quart pan over medium heat until warmed. Add 2 tbsp oil, onion, and carrot and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the pilaf ingredients, bring to a boil, and then immediately lower to a simmer for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. The rice will be al dente and it will finish cooking in the oven.
While the rice cooks, slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the stem. Choose a baking dish that is large enough to hold the peppers (an 8x8 pyrex works great). Add 3/4 cup water, 2 tbsp olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon to the dish. Spoon the pilaf into the peppers, cover tightly with foil, and bake for about 40 minutes or until the peppers are fork tender.
Mix together the ingredients for the topping.
Before serving the peppers, drizzle with garlic yogurt or tahini and serve. Be sure to pour some of the sauce over the peppers. Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice.
*You can use 1/4 cup plain tahini for a subtle flavor, which is excellent, or mix together tahini and lemon (if it curdles and or becomes thick, stir in a teaspoon or two of water to smooth the texture). The garlic is optional.
*Garlic yogurt is a common topping in Turkish cooking.
