This recipe is based on whole bell peppers and beef mince, complemented by black beans and corn and flavoured with toasted cumin, chilli and garlic. But it can easily be adapted for a vegetarian diet if you substitute canned lentils, in similar quantities, and perhaps use a vegan “cheese” instead of Cheddar.

Ingredients

2 mielies (corn on the cob)

4 red bell peppers

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

375 g lean beef mince (or substitute with 1 x 400 g can brown lentils, drained)

1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 x 400 g can black beans, drained

Salt and black pepper

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

0.5 cm slices of Cheddar cheese to cover the tops of the peppers

Method

Boil or steam the mielies, cool, then cut off the kernels and discard the cores.

Wash the outsides of the peppers, dry, then carefully slice off the stem end to form a “lid”. Spoon out the seeds, placenta and septa. The latter two are the foamy part near the stem, and the soft parts that separate the chambers inside the bell pepper “ovary”. Keep the “lids” to use when cooking.

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until they begin to pop. Add olive oil, heat, then add onions and garlic. Cook gently, stirring, until softened.

Add the mince and work it with a wooden spoon so that it does not clump. Cook, stirring, until all the minced beef is well browned.

Add the chopped tomatoes and chilli, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir, and cook gently for 15 minutes for the meat to cook through.

Drain the black beans and add them along with the corn kernels, cook for a few minutes more, then add the Cheddar and stir in while it melts.

Spoon the mixture into the peppers, place slices of Cheddar on top (cut the cheese to fit their shapes), put the lids on and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Serve them just as they are (which is what we did), or with rice or couscous. DM/TGIFood

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here. 

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