Roasted red peppers with macadamia and apple stuffing
This is an ideal recipe if you happen to have vegetarians for Christmas lunch. I always cook the stuffing separately, rather than in the turkey. It gives a much more even, and therefore safer roast. The roasted red peppers and macadamia nuts add a lovely, sweet flavour to this stuffing. Leave the nuts whole and you get plenty of texture too.
For 8-10
- Olive oil, for frying and drizzling
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 75g pecan nuts
- 100g macadamia nuts
- 150g fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 25g fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 2 large Bramley apples, peeled and chopped
- 4 sticks of celery, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 50g melted butter
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 orange peppers, halved and deseeded
- 2 red peppers, halved and deseeded
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and sweat over a low heat until soft. Allow to cool. Roast the pecan and macadamia nuts for 2-3 minutes in a dry frying pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs with the chopped herbs, spices, orange zest, apples, celery, nuts and garlic. Add the onion and the orange juice. Stir in the melted butter and season well. Fill the pepper halves with the stuffing mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil and 126 roast for 25-30 minutes.
