Stuffed peppers anyone?

When I was in my early teens my mother discovered the recipe for stuffed peppers . . . many was the time I wished she hadn't! Horrible! Green peppers stuffed with a rice and minced beef mixture – tasteless except for the bitterness of the green pepper. Why do I tell you this? Because I have come up with a quick recipe for a great veg dish for when you are in a hurry.

During the week when everyone is working cooking needs to be quick and, if not quick, it needs to be easy. One of my easy meals is pork chops done in the oven for about an hour and served with a veg and some sort of potatoes (I am a great fan of the chip pan).

Anyway to make a long story even longer, the day after my birthday I didn't feel like cooking. All the kids had gone to the local firework display so my wife and I thought it would make a nice change to nip to the local Pizza Hut – the thought was fine but the reality a bit less so but one bright spot was my starter . . . stuffed pepper!

It was quite tasty and the idea seemed simple enough. Half a red pepper stuffed with risotto and covered in a crisp herb and cheese crust. Now you could make your own risotto to do this but we are trying to make a quick and simple veg so let's not get carried away. This is about using your supermarket to make quick tasty meals.

For the crust I used Swiss Emmental cheese finely grated and one of Jamie Oliver's Herb Crusts. There are four herb crusts in the range:

• Lemon Herb Crust – with zingy lemon and garlic
• Piri Piri Herb Crust – with chilli, paprika and kibbled chillies
• Rosemary, Chilli & Garlic Herb Crust - with kibbled chillies and spices
• Moroccan Herb Crust – with herbs, spices and spices of apricot

I chose the Rosemary, Chilli & Garlic but go with whatever works for you. According to his web site the crusts are available in UK from Booths, Morrisons and Tescos.

You will require:

2 x sweet red peppers
Jamie Oliver's Herb Crust
Emmental Cheese, grated
1 x pack Uncle Ben's microwave risotto

To prepare:

• Cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove seeds and pith.
• Microwave the risotto as per instructions.
• Fill each pepper with risotto so that it fills the hollow.
• Sprinkle cheese on top followed by the herb crust.
• I put mine in a roasting tray covered with tin foil. Crinkle the tin foil and it stops the peppers from rolling. It also means that you haven't got a pan with baked on cheese to wash! I also put the peppers in the pan before sprinkling on the cheese and the crust . . . just less mess.
• How long to cook for? When I am doing pork chops I usually put the chops in for an hour in the top half of the oven on Gas 5 and then put the peppers in on a lower shelf for 45 minutes. I will then switch them round so the peppers are on the top shelf for the last 5 or 10 minutes.

Don't like peppers?

Just do the same with large mushrooms but you only need to cook then for about 30 minutes. I also do two mushrooms per person!

Editorial note: This site is not paid to promote Jamie Oliver products nor Uncle Ben's. They are just an example and you can use whatever takes your fancy.