Stuffed Peppers

These were a bit of an experiment, as I had managed to buy a packet of peppers when there was already one hiding in the fridge, and so we had an overload. There was also some leftover bolognese, so instead of freezing it I decided to use it to stuff the peppers. It needed a bit of padding out, so some rice seemed to fit the bill.

Stuffed Peppers

1 pepper per person
Bolognese sauce (I had slightly less than two portions)
Cooked rice for two
Grated cheese (something strong like parmesan is good)

Cut the tops off the peppers and pull out the seeds and white bits. This is as easy to do with your hands as anything.

Mix the rice and bolognese together, and stuff into the peppers. My sauce was quite dry, so I added some extra water. Put into an ovenproof dish, top with the cheese and bake in the oven at 160C for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and everything else is cooked through and hot. We had this with some steamed bok choi, but it doesn't necessarily need an additional vegetable.

It was a little bit bland, and the pepper overpowered everything else, so I think next time I would spice up the filling a bit, maybe with some chilli and cumin. Good comfort food on a miserable evening though.

Shepherd's Pie

I don't normally go in for cutsie individual serving sizes, but I couldn't resist making this shepherd's pie, and anyway there wasn't enough lamb to make a bigger pie. This recipe used up a couple of chops that had been in the fridge for long enough. It's not even really worth a recipe, just whizz up the lamb in the food processor, then fry off quickly with a clove of garlic, then add a good glug of mushroom ketchup. Put in a dish (mini-Le Creuset not compulsory), top with mash potato and then bake in the oven until it's bubbling and the top is brown. Serve with creamy leeks (or other green vegetable). Perfect comfort food.