Stuffed peppers

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 bell peppers, red
• 400 g minced meat, mixed
• 1 onion(s), red, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 egg(s)
• 125 g long grain rice, parboiled
• Salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 pinch(s) thyme, dried
• 1 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 tbsp paprika paste
• 600 ml vegetable broth, strong, possibly homemade
• 2 tsp coconut blossom sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 15 g basil leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

gluten-free, without tomatoes

Boil the rice loosely. Some people may prefer a boil-in-the-bag rice, which usually holds exactly 125g. Then drain/steam well. Wash the peppers and cut open at the stem end. Cut out or scrape out the seeds and membranes. You may need to make a slight cut on the bottom of the peppers to ensure they stand upright. If a small hole appears, simply place the cut piece inside and use it to seal the hole. For the filling, knead all the ingredients thoroughly and season with spices. Stuff the peppers with the rice. Melt the clarified butter in a large saucepan and gently soften the paprika. Pour in the vegetable stock, add the coconut blossom sugar, apple cider vinegar, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water and add while stirring. Reduce the heat and add the peppers to the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer gently over low heat (I used about level 3 out of 9) for 75-90 minutes. It’s best to use a thermometer to check if the ground beef is really cooked. Depending on the heat, it takes the full 90 minutes for me. Finely chop the basil. Place the peppers in deep plates, pour the sauce over them, and sprinkle with basil.