Palestinian Stuffed Freekeh Peppers

Wow! This is a dinner party! I’m crazy about everything @palestineonaplate makes. How exciting that she shared this recipe with us just before her book release. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting her food, and it’s a revelation. Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 red peppers, halved lengthways and deseeded 1 small courgette, chopped 1 spring onion, diced ½ onion, diced 2 small tomatoes, diced 100g (3½ oz) coarse freekeh 500ml (18fl oz) tomato passata 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped A small bunch of fresh chives 50ml (2fl oz/0 cup) olive oil Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C/413°F/Gas 6–7). Cut your peppers lengthways and set them in a deep baking tray. Mix the vegetables with the freekeh in a large bowl and add half the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the olive oil and herbs. Use a spoon to fill the pepper halves with the stuffing mix. Pour the rest of the passata around the peppers adding about 360ml (1½ cups) water. Season the sauce with salt and cover the tray with foil. Bake for about 35 minutes. Serve with some warmed through tomato passata and a dollop of yogurt. Tip: If you have any stuffing mix left over, which I always do as all peppers are different sizes, simply place it in a pot and add enough water to cover by 2.5cm (1 inch) and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. This will result in a lovely thick grainy soup.