Name: Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: serves 4 people (starter)
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 1/2 celery stick, finely chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 1/4 fresh chilli, finely chopped; 240 g Tomato Purée; 150 ml water (2/3 cup); 1 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs (oregano, basil, thyme); 8 small green peppers (babura or jalapeño); 150 g smoked mozzarella (5 oz.); 80 g all-purpose flour (3/4 cup); 2 eggs; 500 ml vegetable oil (for frying) (2 cups or 16 fl. oz.); fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce

It’s dishes like these that make Jernej and I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to share our love for good food and our creations on this platform right here. We love chatting with you guys about good food and it’s so true that foodies really are the kindest people. Without further ado, let’s jump into this pepper situation right here. Okay, so my mom makes the classic stuffed peppers for our area. Big yellow peppers, stuffed with minced beef and rice cooked in sweet tomato sauce. Honestly I am not the biggest fan (sorry mom, I am obsessed with your delicious chicken stew though) but Jernej on the other hand is the biggest fan of my mom’s stuffed peppers. These cute little green peppers (called Babura peppers, however, you can also use jalapeño for this recipe) stuffed with smoked mozzarella and deep fried on the contrary are out of this world delicious. These green peppers are stuffed with smoked mozzarella, then coated in eggs and flour, deep fried and served with light, homemade tomato sauce. Result? Fresh, still a little crunchy peppers, filled with melted, smoked mozzarella, which is incredibly rich in flavor and then for the contrast, served with light tomato sauce and sprinkled with fresh parsley. Ahh, just so good. This treat is perfect both as a starter for celebrations or as a main dish for a quick, 40-minute midweek lunch / dinner. Easy to make, simple and honestly, insanely delicious.

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/2 celery stick, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 fresh chilli, finely chopped

240 g Tomato Purée

150 ml water (2/3 cup)

1 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs (oregano, basil, thyme)

Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers

8 small green peppers (babura or jalapeño)

150 g smoked mozzarella (5 oz.)

80 g all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)

2 eggs

500 ml vegetable oil (for frying) (2 cups or 16 fl. oz.)

fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

Tools and equipment

skillet

kitchen knife

two bowls

saucepan

thermometer

paper towels

METHOD

tomato sauce

First prepare the tomato sauce. Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, diced onion, chopped celery stick, chopped garlic cloves and chopped chili. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato puree (or tomato passata), chopped herbs and 150 ml (2/3 cup) of water. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 30 minut on low heat (light simmer).
Clean the peppers and cut them in half

Cut the peppers lengthwise in half from top to bottom and discard the seeds. Fill the pepper halves with smoked mozzarella cheese and press halves back together. Repeat the process until you fill all the peppers.
Coat in eggs and flour

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and put flour in another bowl. Dip the stuffed pepper in eggs, letting excess drip off, then coat with flour and then coat with eggs again to form a second layer, letting excess drip off. Repeat the process until all the stuffed peppers are coated.
Deep fry the stuffed peppers

Heat the vegetable oil to 175°C / 345°F in a medium saucepan. Working in batches, fry stuffed peppers for about 3 - 4 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally but be careful because the oil is very hot. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Serve

Transfer the Smoked Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers to the skillet with tomato sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.