Turkish Stuffed Peppers with Minced Beef and Rice

• 150 g Short-grain rice
• 4 large Green pepper
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 400 g Minced beef
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 2 tsp Sweet paprika
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée
• 500 ml Tomato passata
• 200 ml Water
• 250 g Greek yogurt, thick

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well.
2. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Keep the tops to use as lids, and set the peppers upright in a baking dish.
3. Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of the salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until softened, then stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
4. Add the minced beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until no longer pink. Stir in the cumin, sweet paprika, black pepper and the remaining salt.
5. Stir in the rice and tomato purée, then cook for 2 minutes so the rice is well coated. Take off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes so it is easier to handle.
6. Spoon the filling into the peppers, packing it lightly and leaving about 1 cm at the top for the rice to expand. Sit the pepper tops back on as lids.
7. Whisk the tomato passata with the water and pour it around the peppers (not over the tops). Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until the peppers are tender and the rice is cooked through; if the sauce reduces too much, add a splash more water.
8. Rest for 5 minutes, then spoon some of the tomato sauce over each pepper. Serve hot with the greek yogurt alongside.

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