FETA STUFFED PEPPERS
Piperies Gemistes me Feta (feta stuffed peppers) comes from the sunny kitchens of Greece, where simple, seasonal ingredients get the VIP treatment. This rustic dish has roots in island and mainland home cooking, a cousin to the classic gemista (stuffed vegetables) tradition that fills tomatoes, zucchinis and peppers with rice, herbs and sometimes minced meat. In the feta stuffed version, the focus shifts to the tangy, creamy sheep and goat milk cheese that Greece is famous for. It’s the sort of dish you’ll find in taverna courtyards and family gatherings, with my version adding in some tahini for nuttiness, garlic and white pepper, keeping the filling simple.
Why it’s so delicious comes down to contrast and balance. The sweetness and slight char of roasted peppers against the salty, crumbly richness of feta, brightened with lemon, olive oil and fresh herbs, think dill (my preferred), parsley or oregano.
Tricks to get them perfect include choosing firm, medium long sized peppers so they hold shape, don’t overfill, leave a little room for bubbling and make sure get them slightly burnt, the amount of flavour that comes from taking the edge is worth it, so don’t be afraid of a little heat.
FETA STUFFED PEPPERS
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FETA STUFFED PEPPERS 〰️
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 pieces
4 long sweet red peppers
400gm feta cheese
1 shallot, rough chop
4 garlic coves, rough chop
1 lemon, zest & juice
2 table spoons tahini
1 tea spoon white pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Garnish: fresh dill fronds (optional)
Preheat oven to 220 degrees celicus fan forced.
Prep the pepper by cutting long ways down the middle and then a little slit at the end of each line so the cut looks like a very long capital ‘I’ and remove the seeds inside and any white pith. Be careful to not rip the pepper up, and I like to give it some smacks to get any rogue seeds out. Place to the side.
For feta filling, into a food processor add in crumbled feta cheese, shallot, garlic, lemon zest, tahini, white pepper and a small squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil. Turn on food processor and blitz until a whipped feta consistency. If it needs some more help combining, add small squeezes of lemon juice, but be careful as if it’s too loose it work work. Once thick dip texture is hit fill the peppers with the mix, pushing into all the crevices with the blunt end of a chopstick and tea spoon. You want to still be able to close the pepper and not have any filling overflowing, so less is more, as the pepper will reduce in size when cooked.
Once the peppers are filled and cleaned up with a tissue, liberally drizzle with olive oil and place into the oven for 25 minutes or until slightly burnt on the edges of the peppers and the feta is golden charred on top. Remove from oven and on serving plate drizzle olive oil and a big squeeze of lemon juice and mix together. Place cooked peppers on top, allowing to soak into the juice on the plate and finish with fresh dill fronds on top.