Stuffed marconis

I tried this recipe once before when we had green marconis (a longer and skinnier version of a capsicum) because I couldn't wait for them to turn red and wanted to try stuffed peppers.

I grabbed whatever I had in the cupboard and fridge to make the stuffing - and that's the beauty of these - you can put whatever you like in them.

And now with some beautiful red marconis it was time to recreate this dish.

My inspired addition (if I do say so myself) was the macadamia nuts I had left over from my lunch jaunt to Sydney. I didn't want the entire base of the stuffing to be breadcrumbs so crushed some nuts up in the mortar and pestle and they added a fantastic texture and taste to the stuffing. The recipe stuffs about four medium sized marconis.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Handful of macadamia nuts, crushed quite finely
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 Tb capers (chopped up so that I can sneak them in there hoping Elliot doesn't notice)
• 2 Tb sundried tomatoes chopped 
• 4 tsp of the sundried tomato oil
• 4 small red chillies, chopped
• 1/2 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Cut the tops off the peppers and get as much of the placenta (pithy bit) out as possible, being careful not to pierce the skin (these peppers didn't have seeds in them but would need de-seeding if they did).
• Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and stuff into the peppers (easiest down with a teaspoon and fingers).

• Brush the peppers with a little olive oil and barbeque them until the skins blacken and blister (about 15 minutes).
• You can also do them in the oven - about 20 minutes at 180°C.

Serve as a vege side with whatever your heart desires or as a vegetarian starter or lunch.

We had these with BBQ chicken thighs and portobello mushrooms
Delish.

The next venture in terms of stuffing peppers has got to be jalapeno poppers (bacon/cheese stuffed jalapenos crumbed and deep fried... trying not to drool on keyboard...) Stay tuned...