ROMANO PEPPERS WITH DIRTY FREEKEH

The freekeh filling is based on the more familiar dirty rice, which is a signature dish of Lebanon. Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking: 1 hour 10 minutes 6 large or 10 small Romano peppers Olive oil, for rubbing

Baharat spice mix for scattering For the dirty freekeh:

100g Puy lentils Splash of light olive oil

1 small white onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 small red chilli, finely chopped 1tbsp Baharat spice mix

1tsp turmeric

90g freekeh

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange 20g pine nuts, toasted

20g currants

20g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped

½tbsp soft dark brown sugar 20g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

For the spiced tahini sauce: 200ml tahini

2½tbsp agave syrup ½tbsp Baharat spice mix Juice of 2 lemons For the tobacco onions:

2–3tbsp cornflour or rice flour 1 white onion, very finely sliced Light oil, for frying

1 Heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ mark 5. Make a slit two-thirds down the length of each pepper. Rub with oil, then scatter with baharat and salt on a baking tray.

2 Roast peppers for 10–15 minutes until they begin to soften.

3 Put the lentils in a pan, cover with water and simmer for 20–25 minutes until just cooked. Drain.

4 Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, garlic and chilli and sauté for a few minutes, stirring until the onion is translucent. Add the spices and cook for a couple of minutes.

5 Add the freekeh and cook until lightly toasted. Add the lentils and cover with water, then stir in the zest and juice. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

6 Turn off the heat and leave to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining freekeh ingredients and season to taste.

7 Open up the peppers and scoop out the seeds.

8 Fill each with the freekeh mix, then pack into a baking dish quite tightly. Bake for 15–20 minutes.

9 Whisk all the tahini ingredients together with 200ml warm water, then set aside.

10 Season the cornflour or rice flour, then toss with the onion until coated. Heat 1cm light oil in a large pan to a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden and crunchy. Drain on kitchen paper.

11 Serve the stuffed peppers with the tobacco onions and a drizzle of

spiced tahini sauce. Recipes from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman (Mitchell Beazley, £25)