Sweet peppers stuffed with ground turkey and brown rice

Ingredients:

Stuffed peppers

• 1.5 tbsp. short grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh dill
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 4 green onions, cut into rings
• 6 medium-sized sweet peppers (any color)
• 230 gr. ground turkey
• 2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (about 230 g)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Freshly ground pepper

Tomato sauce

• 400 g tomato paste
• 1 tbsp and 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Prepare the peppers: Combine 2 1/2 cups water, rice, raisins, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the rice has absorbed all the water, about 45 minutes. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, then transfer to a large bowl and cool for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 6-8 minutes; let cool, then finely chop. Place dill, parsley, and green onions on a cutting board and finely chop.
3. Cut the tops off each pepper and reserve for cooking; remove the seeds and trim off the white membranes. Place the minced meat in a large bowl; add 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup feta, rice mixture, walnuts, all but 2 tablespoons of the herbs, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Gently mix with your hands. Stuff the peppers with the minced meat and cover with the tops.
4. Prepare the sauce: In a large, wide saucepan, combine 3 cups of water, tomato paste, brown sugar, olive oil, and cinnamon stick. Add the stuffed peppers to the sauce and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium-low; simmer until the peppers are tender, 50 to 60 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to broil. Carefully remove the peppers from the sauce and place them in a baking dish; discard the tops and place them in the dish next to each other. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped herbs with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup feta; sprinkle over the peppers. Place the dish with the peppers under the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Cover the peppers with the tops. Season the sauce with pepper and salt. Serve the peppers in shallow bowls with the sauce.