Peppers stuffed with spiced lamb

Since doing my Cordon Bleu diploma I've been finding dinner parties increasingly stressful.  I seem to feel that unless I have spent 12 hours cooking then I haven't really made an effort for my guests. Unsurprisingly this has resulted in me not enjoying giving dinner parties and so for the last one, Steve and I decided on an Indian menu using recipes from this blog.  Steve managed to cook a delicious meal for six people within 90 minutes while I had a manicure and pedicure in the next room.  Our guests had a fabulous evening and everyone raved about the food.  Steve can definitely do the cooking going forward!

This recipe is a great starter for a stress-free dinner party as it looks colourful and you can do most of the preparation well in advance.

Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main course

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon light tasting vegetable oil
• 1 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 black peppercorns
• 1 medium onion - finely chopped
• 10 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
• 1 small fresh green chilli - finely chopped
• 450 grams minced lamb
• 140 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
• A small handful of fresh coriander - finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt
• 4 red peppers 
• Olive oil
• Ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium pan.
2. Add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns.  Heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the chopped onions and cook until they are very soft.
4. Add the ginger and chilli.  Stir well.
5. Now add the lamb.  Stir well and let the mixture cook on a medium-low heat.  Don't cover the pan.  As the lamb cooks it will release fat and water.  Stir occasionally and let the lamb cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.  Be careful not to cook off all of the moisture as you don't want it to be too dry, however the lamb should have a granular texture.  This is likely to take in the region of 20 minutes.
6. Add the peas and let the mixture cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Switch off the heat and remove the star anise and cinnamon stick.  
8. Add the garam masala, fresh coriander, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Stir well and taste to check the seasoning.
9. Leave the mixture to cool until you are ready to stuff the peppers just prior to serving.
10. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.
11. Cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds.
12. Place the halved peppers on a baking tray.  Brush both the skin and inside of the peppers with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
13. Place the peppers in the oven to cook for 10 minutes.
14. Remove the peppers from the oven.  Drain any water that has been released during cooking.  Stuff the peppers with the lamb mixture.
15. Return the peppers to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  The peppers should be tender and the lamb stuffing hot and slightly crispy on top.
16. Serve with green salad leaves.