Piperies me Tyri (Stuffed Chili Peppers with Cheese)
From the looks of it, I seem to have developed a liking for stuffing vegetables these days. First there was Dolmeh Felfel (Stuffed Capsicums), and then Dolmeh Gojeh Farangi (Stuffed Tomatoes that I haven't blogged yet), and now, this. Even at the supermarket these days, I keep on looking at vegetables I can stuff with something or other... Don't ask me why either; the question just makes me laugh at myself.
Anyway, the desire for stuffing something, along with the desire for nomming on more Mediterranean food led me to make this meze from Greece. In fact, the idea sprang up after I bought a cute little cookbook on essential Lebanese cooking the other day, but I thought it would be fun to expand the region a wee bit, and so I cooked up a couple things from Greece and Iran as well. In the end, we were the ones who felt stuffed... with way too much food haha: Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Borani Esfanaaj, Tabbouleh, and of course, this.
Piperies me Tyri, which I think translates to Peppers with Cheese from Greek is easy to make, but since we don't have a grill at home, it required a bit of innovation too that involved a stove, two plastic containers, a Hong Kong-style barbecue pit grill and a pair of tongs.
The end result was a creamy and refreshing center that was balanced out with the spiciness of the chillies. Out of excitement because of all the cooking I was doing, though, I ended up drizzling a bit too much oil on it, but I'm sure I won't be doing that next time. The only other thing that I would change, as well, is to maybe add a bit more parsley to the filling.
Ingredients (Makes 3)
- 3 green chili peppers (the straighter, the better)
- 2 tbs feta cheese
- 1 Thai red chili, minced
- 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
- 1 slice crust-less bread
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- To make the stuffing, mash the feta with the back of a spoon and mix it up with the red chilies and parsley.
- Cut of the tops of the green chili peppers, and using a knife or a small spoon, scrape out all the seeds. Remove any seeds or flesh from the top parts as well.
- Stuff green chilies with the feta mix.
- Seal off the top of the green chili with a piece of bread. This will stop the melted cheese from pouring out, and will help to keep the top part in place.
- Coat the chilies with a light brushing of oil.
- Place it on the grill, turning frequently, until the peppers are cooked through and soft.
- Garnish with a bit of olive oil if desired, but make sure it's served hot with the cheese still melted inside!
