2 Bell Peppers
1 Aubergine
100g Rice
50g frozen Peas
1/2 Courgette
1 400g tin Tomatoes
1 clove Garlic
1/2 Stock cube
1tsp Cumin or Italian herbs
1. Cut the tops off the bell peppers to make a ‘hat’. Cut the aubergine in half across its width. Cut about 1com off the top and bottom end to make two further ‘hats’, then hollow out the inside of each aubergine half, leaving a 1/2cm depth of aubergine at the bottom to form a base.
2. Put a deep pan on the stove with the tin of tomato (keep the tin) and the minced garlic clove. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Finely dice the inside of the aubergine and the half courgette. In a bowl, mix these with the rice, peas and herbs or spice. Stuff the mixture into the peppers and aubergine.
4. Arrange the vegetables in the pan of tomatoes, and scatter any remaining stuffing around them. Fill the tomato tin with hot/boiling water, dissolve the stock cube in this, and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, put a lid on the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Check every 10 minutes to make sure that the bottom of the pan is not burning. Stir and add extra water if the contents are beginning to ‘catch’.
5. If at the end of cooking, the sauce is too thin, remove the vegetables and boil the tomato sauce vigorously for a few minutes until it is the consistency you prefer.