Ingredients:
3 large bell peppers
3/4 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup long-grain rice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dark seedless raisins
1 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler. Place peppers on a sheet pan and broil about 8 inches from the heat source, turning as they blister to roast on all sides. This should take 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cool. (Alternatively you can roast on top of your stove if you don't have a broiler, like me)
2. While peppers are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and cook the onions until wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the rice, cinnamon, and cumin and toss to combine in the skillet. Pour in the water and season with salt. Cover the skillet, lower heat, and cook the rice until tender but al dente. All the liquid should be absorbed and the surface of the rice pocked. Remove from heat, mix in raisins, nuts, mint and parsley and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
3. When the peppers have cooled slightly, cut off their stems, peel away their papery skins carefully so as not to tear the underlying flesh, and reserve all their juices, Slit them once vertically and scrape out their seeds with a spoon.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil an ovenproof glass baking dish. Fill each pepper loosely with several tablespoons of the rice mixture and fold closed. Place side by side in the baking dish, seam side up, and pour the reserved juices over them. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove, cook slightly, and serve either warm or at room temperature.