Yields 4 whole peppers or 8 half peppers.

Ingredients:
4 large sweet peppers, red, yellow, or orange (green peppers won’t work)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped or put through press
1⁄2 inch piece fresh ginger root
1⁄4 tsp. salt

Directions:

If serving whole peppers, carefully cut the cap end off and set aside. Clean the seeds  and veins out of the peppers and set caps and peppers aside. If serving half peppers,  cut the peppers into “boats” by slicing vertically from top to bottom and proceed as  directed. *We prefer the half peppers.  

Prepare marinade by placing juice, oil, garlic, ginger root, and salt in a food processor;  whirl until mixture is smooth. Brush insides of peppers with marinade and set aside while you prepare the filling. 

Filling:

2 Tbs. oil  
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. ground turmeric  
1 large fresh ripe tomato, finely  chopped, drain off extra liquid 
2 Tbs. golden raisins  
¼ to ½ cup hummus 
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)  
1 medium onion (finely chopped) 
1 clove garlic (minced or pressed) 
1 large potato (about 1¼ cups) peeled  and cut into ¼” cubes* 
Salt and sugar to taste  
Carrot hummus
Optional: ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)  

*We like to substitute this with sweet potato 

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, turmeric,  onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Sauté just until the onion is beginning to brown,  about 5 minutes.  

Add the potato, cabbage, tomato, and raisins and cook for 2 minutes then reduce the  heat to low. Cover and cook the vegetable mixture until the potatoes and cabbage are  just soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 or 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, if vegetable  mixture is wet, uncover and cook off some of the liquid. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and  cook an additional minute. 

Stir in the hummus and remove from heat. Stir in any leftover marinade, taste, and adjust seasonings. Add additional salt, pepper, or a little sugar if mixture has any bitterness.  Spoon the filling into the peppers.

If cooking peppers whole, put caps in place, anchoring them with toothpicks if necessary. Either grill the peppers for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft and glossy or bake at 350°F in a foil-lined pan for about 30 to 40 minutes. If grilling half peppers, cover partway through with foil if the filling starts to dry out. 

 We enjoy this recipe with Lantana Sriracha.

Additional notes:  

These are worth the time and getting stained by the turmeric. They are good both ways  but are terrific grilled. Leave them on the grill long enough to let the skin char just a little.  Serve hot.  

The little sweet peppers that have recently appeared in markets make good appetizers when stuffed and heated through. Just cut off and discard the caps – no need to try to seed these. Proceed as directed but watch these as they cook quickly.  

I have had good luck using well-drained canned diced tomato when good fresh tomatoes are not available.