Stuffed peppers with couscous and carrots

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 6 small green peppers or 3 large
• 2 m.-large carrot(s)
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves, squeezed or finely chopped
• 100 g olives, black
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 100 ml white wine
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 6 peppercorns, ground or crushed in a mortar
• 200 g couscous, fine
• 2 tomatoes
• 150 g mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Classic with a twist, vegetarian

Cut a lid off the peppers (careful: not too much!). Remove the stem inside and around the lid and cut the edible part of the lid into small cubes. Finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots, and olives and fry them with the diced peppers in the olive oil over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté over high heat for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and stir well over high heat until the tomato paste has dissolved. Add 150 ml of the stock, stir, and turn off the heat. Stir in the couscous and ground pepper and mix well. Place the lid on the pan and set aside. Pour the rest of the stock into an ovenproof dish, chop the tomatoes, and add them. Cut the buffalo mozzarella into small cubes and fold into the couscous mixture. Fill the prepared peppers with the couscous and place them in the dish. Braise in a preheated oven (200°C, top/bottom heat) on the middle rack for approximately 60 minutes. Cover the dish with either a lid or aluminum foil. Tip: You can buy small green bell peppers at Turkish supermarkets. Pointed bell peppers can also be used as a substitute. The tart flavor of the green peppers blends beautifully with the sweetness of the carrots. If you use regular bell peppers, expect the cooking time to be longer.