Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Pilau Rice, Currants and Toasted Pine Nuts

All you do is cut the peppers in half lengthways through the stalk, then scrape out the seeds and place the halves on the baking tray.

Now sprinkle a little of the garlic into each one and follow that with a teaspoon of oil. Brush a little more oil around the edges of the peppers, add a seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper, then bake them on a high shelf in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until they are well browned at the edges.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and pine nuts and fry for 10 minutes, or until everything is golden. Then add the currants, cinnamon and garlic. When you are ready to cook the rice, stir it into the pan and turn the grains over until they are thoroughly coated in the oil. Then pour in the hot stock and season with salt. Stir once only, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the rice cook for exactly 15 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the lid and cover the pan with a clean tea cloth until the rice is needed. When the peppers are cooked, transfer them to a warmed dish and fill each one with the rice, adding the mint at the last moment. Serve the remaining rice in a warmed bowl to accompany the peppers.

You can also watch how to make perfect rice in our Cookery School Video on this page.