Stuffed Peppers

Put the oven on to about 200 c/GM 6

Cut the peppers in half (lengthways) and remove the stalk and seeds. It's nice to have a good mix of colours and each person will probably eat three or four halves. 

A pound of mince (450-500g) will stuff up to about ten peppers (I usually don't stuff this many, typically five or six and then either put the remaining mince out for people to help themselves to some more or have it with a baked potato or some bread for a lunch later in the week.)

Put the peppers in an oven dish (the best size is so they all fit in one layer next to each other without gaps) and put in the oven while you make the filling. (Peek into the oven from time to time though as you want them to soften but not char!)

Brown about 1lb of mince and then drain off the fat (but leaving the meat juices). Add one or two finely chopped onions and about half a bulb of crushed garlic and cook for three or four mins until soft.

Add about a teaspoon of paprika (half and half smoked is nice) and about half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (adjust if you like it more or less spicy!) and stir through for a minute or two. Then add two or three teaspoons of vinegar (balsamic is nice and rich, but malt will be fine too) and give it a good stir getting the spices off the bottom of the pan. 

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a big pinch of oregano and some black pepper and bring gently to the boil. (You can add half or a whole beef stock cube if you like.) Add a good squeeze of tomato puree (about a tablespoon) and leave to simmer for a few minutes to thicken a bit while you slice/grate cheese to go on top.

I usually use mozzarella but anything melty (eg mild cheddar) would be fine. How much cheese you use is up to you. I can usually get eight to ten reasonable slices (ie four to five peppers worth) out of a 125g mozzarella ball.

Spoon mince into each pepper-half, pushing it flat then top with cheese.

Put back in the oven until the cheese is as melty and bubbly as you like it (usually about ten minutes)

Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread

(In a hurry? Chop the peppers and cook with the onions, serve the mince with rice, or baked potato and grated cheese)

You might also like

Loaded Skins

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Beef in Beer

Kofta Curry

Chilli Beef Stew

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Meals with Mozzarella

Hello,

Links to some other recipes with mozzarella...

Feta/Mozzarella Tomato and Basil Salad

'Home Made' Pizzas

Loaded Skins

Stuffed Peppers

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Feta, Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato Salad

Good at any time of year, either as a main meal with new potatoes, or as an accompaniment to eg chicken and new potatoes, salmon fillet and new potatoes. (New potatoes go really well with this!)

Cut mozzarella and/or feta cheese into bite pieces (I like a mix of both, but you can use either), quantity depending if main meal or side

Rip and crush fresh basil leaves and grind on some black pepper.

Chop in some tomatoes (either salad tomatoes quartered or eigthed, or cherry ones halved), drizzle on some olive oil.

(As a main for four people, I would use two mozzarella balls and a pack of feta and about eight - twelve salad tomatoes or a big pack of cherry toms)


You might also like:

Salsa Salad

Spicy Prawn Salad

Chicken Kebabs

The best Toasted Sandwich

Barbecue Ideas

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

'Home-made' pizzas

A bit of a 'cheat' tea

Assembles in 5-10 mins while the oven heats and cooks in about 10.

Spread ready made pizza bases with tomato purée.

(I also make using toasted stotties or breadbuns, but under the grill)

Rip a few basil leaves (I have a supermarket pot from a meal a few weeks ago still growing on the windowsill, but a light sprinkle of dried basil or oregano would be okay) and grind some black pepper over.

Add some veg like frozen sweeetcorn, sliced mushrooms or some chopped peppers (or whatever you have and like)

If you want meat, add on a few thin strips of cooked meat eg sandwich ham, salami or left-overs like chicken or chorizo from another meal, or a sliced stick of peperami ...

Add a bit of cheese to the top, mozzarella if I have planned ahead and bought some, or cheddar or whatever is lurking in the fridge if I am just throwing it together.

Put in the oven according to the pizza base instructions (typically 10 mins) or if using buns just grill until the cheese has melted.


Although it takes longer to prep, this is quite a nice thing to make with kids, who love getting involved. (Tea may be later, but it's a good opportunity to hear about their day while working side-by-side)

If you don't want to use or don't have a ready-made base, as an alternative to making your own dough or a scone base, you can also half and lightly toast bread buns, muffins, stotties... before adding the topping.

(The sauce I use for spaghetti and meatballs can also be used on pizzas.)

Other meals with fresh basil

Other meals with mozzarella



For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )

Loaded skins

Bacon or gammon in a garlic tomato sauce topped with potato wedges and mozzarella.


Serves four (but easy to scale up and down).

Cut four large potatoes (or unsuprisingly more if they are smaller) into wedges (I cut each into eight: cut longways in half, then half and half again. Put in an oven tin, drizzle over a couple of teaspoons of oil then rub all the potato slices together to coat. Spread them in one layer and put them in the oven (about 200c/GM6) for about 45 mins.

I usually leave them for about half an hour, then check them and begin making the next bit. If they aren't yet cooked through (stab a thick one to make sure it's soft) and starting to go a bit crispy yet (depends on how thick the slices are and how packed the tin is), you might need to leave them in a bit longer, or turn the oven up a bit.

(If you are using leftover cooked gammon or bacon, make the sauce and then add it)

Cook the bacon or gammon chopped into small bite-size pieces for a couple of minutes in a pan. (You probably won't need to use any oil, as the meat will release some fat if you start cooking it gently.) You can use sliced bacon, chopped up bacon or gammon steak, lardons et cetera. I usually find cutting a bacon or gammon joint up is the best value and freeze the rest for another meal. How much is up to you, a pound of meat (450-500g) is more than enough for four, and less wouldn't seem mean in this dish. Especially if I am using chunky pieces from a joint, I sometimes take the meat out of the pan and spread over the oven dish I will be baking it in and pop it in the oven while I make the sauce to give them a roasted taste and texture.

Chop a couple of onions (I usually chop one fine to thicken the sauce and one a bit chunkier) and soften them in the pan for a couple of minutes with some crushed garlic (up to you how garlic-y you like it, I usually use about half a bulb).

Then add a tin of tomatoes, some black pepper, a big pinch of oregano and a squirt of tomato purée (2-3 tsps). Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes so it is thick and not runny.

Mix the sauce and meat and spread evenly over an oven dish. Put the lightly crispy wedges over to cover and then thin pieces of mozzarella here and there over the potatoes.

Put back into the oven for about ten minutes for the mozzarella to melt and bubble.

You might also like:

Potato and Bacon Soup - this is an idea for any unused meat

Other meals with mozzarella

Beef in Beer

Chicken and Bacon Casserole

Chilli Beef Stew


Stuffed Peppers

For more ideas, follow me on twitter @Tyne_Teas

Please visit my Intro post for more about my blog and me - I hope you enjoy my recipes : )