Ingredients
- 4 Sweet Palermo capsicums, tricolore
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup yoghurt
Dressing ingredients
- 1 head of butter lettuce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Author of this recipe
Sweet Palermo’s are such a beautiful capsicum. They are also surprisingly sweet.
They look like a bull-horn capsicum, or a cartoon version of giant bird’s eye chilli - so you might expect some heat, but there is none. They are way sweeter than your regular blocky capsicum, with crispier crunchier skin. The sweetest pepper I have ever tasted!
Their flavour and texture make them great for eating raw - in a salad, as a snack, or on a cheese board - but here we’re going increase that natural sweetness with some gentle cooking.
They have a kind of architectural shape, this recipe takes advantage of this, and tries to show off the pepper’s visual appeal. The Moroccan-inspired stuffing is satisfying, flavourful and easy to make – with a little bit of care the stuffing technique is fool-proof.
The salad is all about the texture. Butter leaves can be bought as a whole head of lettuce or in a bag but need to be treated with care. Wash, spin and dry properly and delicately. Dress them lightly in a simple vinaigrette. True to name, they are tender, creamy and buttery soft in your mouth. So decadent for a lettuce!
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Brush the outside of the capsicums with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
- Place the prepared capsicums on a baking sheet and roast them in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until they are just tender and still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and let them cool.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it becomes translucent.
- Stir in the minced garlic and all the spices and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the couscous and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Cut a slit along the length of each capsicum, creating an opening, then carefully fill them with the couscous. Put back into the oven to reheat for another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve drizzled with yoghurt.
Butter lettuce salad:
- Wash and pat dry the salad leaves. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, salt, and black pepper. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- Dress the butter lettuce leaves with the vinaigrette.
- Sprinkle toasted pine nuts over the dressed salad and serve with the stuffed capsicums.
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