Baked Peppers Stuffed with Millet and Red Lentils

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the peppers and ingredients

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and white parts; trim the stems if needed. Finely chop the onion, mince one garlic clove, and set the other aside for the sauce. Rinse the millet with hot water.

   
2. 2

   Cook the millet and lentils

   Put the millet in a saucepan with 320 ml of water and 2 g of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes; then leave it to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. In a second saucepan, bring the lentils and 375 ml of water with 2 g of salt to a boil. Cook for 10–12 minutes, until tender but not falling apart. Drain any remaining water.

   
3. 3

   Season the filling

   Heat 15 ml of olive oil in a frying pan. Cook the onion over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, until softened and beginning to turn golden at the edges. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, and cumin; stir for 1 minute. Stir in the cooked millet, lentils, and remaining 2 g of salt. The filling should be moist but not mushy.

   
4. 4

   Stuff and bake the peppers

   Fill the pepper halves with the mixture and arrange them cut-side up in a baking dish. Pour 100 ml of water into the bottom of the dish. Bake at 200 °C for 30–35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and their edges are lightly charred in places. For a more deeply browned top, switch on the top heat for the last 3 minutes.

   
5. 5

   Prepare the sauce and serve

   Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry frying pan for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to pop in places. Finely chop the parsley and blend it with the second garlic clove, 10 ml of olive oil, the lemon juice, and 30 ml of water to make a thin sauce. Serve the baked peppers hot, drizzled with the sauce and sprinkled with the seeds.