Croatian Stuffed Green Peppers (“punjena Paprika”)

This is in fact Turkish heritage in Croatian gastronomy. We use mixed pork and beef meat. This is the recipe I use and the difference is that I roast peppers before putting them into sauce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 portions

Ingredients

• 1500  g green peppers (8 to 10 pieces)
• 250  g beef (grounded)
• 250  g pork (grounded)
• 30  g  lard
• 10  g onions
• 50  g rice
• 1  egg

• For sauce

• 500  g tomato juice (strained tomato juice)
• 40  g  lard
• 40  g flour (all purpose)
• 20  g sugar
• 100  g sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Wash green peppers and cut the stem part to open a hole and to remove seeds part.
2. Sauté finely minced onion on lard. When transparent remove from heat and add grounded beef and pork.
3. Cook rice until half done and add into meat. Also add 1 whole egg, salt and pepper. Mix well into a compact stuffing.
4. Stuff each green pepper with stuffing until full (Surplus of stuffing use as meat balls to cook with peppers).
5. In a pot melt lard and sauté flour until brownish. Add tomato strained juice, salt and sugar. Add water if needed.
6. Roast each green pepper in a frying pan on some oil making sure they don’t over burn. Put each peppers into a sauce and cook 60 minutes. At the end you can add sour cream.