Theo says: “These Romano peppers with a canned potato stuffing are so quick to make and are utterly delicious. They work perfectly as a light meal served with salad or they make a wonderful accompaniment to a more substantial meal. If your peppers are quite large, pop them in the oven first for 10 minutes to start the cooking process.”

Serves 2 as a main; 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 4 Romano peppers
• 300g can new potatoes
• 100g Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 30g fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped chives
• 1½ tsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C.

Halve the Romano peppers lengthways straight through the stalk, removing any pith and seeds from inside, and place all eight halves cut side up on a baking sheet.

Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl and mash as thoroughly as possible – the smoother the better. Fold the yogurt, garlic, all the Cheddar cheese and half the

Parmesan cheese into the potatoes, then season generously with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Divide the mixture between the peppers, spooning it inside each one.

For the topping, mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining Parmesan, the chives and olive oil and scatter evenly over the stuffed pepper halves.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are crisp and golden. Serve with a green salad.

From Canned by Theo Michaels (£18.99, Ryland Peters & Small), out now

Joudie says: “My mother used to make many versions of stuffed peppers, one of which involved freekeh. That is the version I have reproduced here, adapted to my taste. I had many vegetarian customers at my restaurant who loved the variety of my dishes. There were over 20 different options on the menu and this one became a really big hit. It is hearty, punchy, fresh and filling. The tomato sauce that the freekeh is cooked in gives it a gentle flavour and a dollop of gorgeous thick Greek yogurt on the side really makes this a go to dish when you are feeling hungry and worn down. I made hundreds of these a week at the restaurant and always had people commenting on how this tasted like home. Home to them could be America, France, Italy, the Middle East, Asia – it didn’t matter what they were eating, but the essence of home was felt in the food, and that has always been my aim.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 red peppers, halved lengthways and deseeded
• 1 small courgette, chopped
• 1 spring onion, diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 100g coarse freekeh
• 500ml tomato passata
• 2 tsp sea salt
• tsp 50ml olive oil
• a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• a small bunch of fresh chives

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C). Place the cut peppers in a deep baking tray.

Mix the remaining vegetables with the freekeh in a large bowl and add half the passata. Season with half the salt and the pepper and stir through the olive oil and herbs. Use a spoon to fill the pepper halves with the mixture.

Pour the rest of the passata around the peppers in the tray, adding about 360ml water and season with the remaining salt. Cover the tray tightly with foil – this will create steam inside to cook the freekeh. 

Bake for about 35 minutes until the freekeh is cooked. Use a small teaspoon to try a bit of freekeh; if it needs more time, return the tray to the oven for another five to 10 minutes.

Serve with some of the warm tomato passata from the baking tray and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Tip
If you have any stuffing mixture left over (which I always do as all peppers are different sizes), simply place it in a saucepan, add enough water to cover by 2.5cm (1 inch) and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes to make a lovely thick, grainy soup.     

From Palestine on a Plate by Joudie Kalla (£18.99, White Lion Publishing), out now

Genevieve says: “Romano peppers are the long thin ones that are becoming increasingly easy to find, and although they don’t taste particularly different to regular peppers they do look the business, which I always think adds a lot to the pleasure of eating. You could use regular peppers here but their thicker flesh means they will take a little more time to cook. One thing to note – the polenta will crack and shrink a little on grilling, which you may feel looks wrong, but the crispy edges are worth it, and besides, once you’ve doused the lot in caramelised butter, sprinkled over some extra cheese and started eating, I promise you won’t give those cracks a second thought.”

Serves 3–6, depending on what else you are eating

Ingredients

• 3 large Romano peppers
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 80g instant polenta
• 25g butter
• 50g Parmesan, freshly grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

To top:

• 60g butter
• 3 tbsp capers
• about 12 sage leaves

Method

Slice the peppers in half through the stem, then scoop out and discard the seeds and core. Line them up on a plate or baking sheet so you can carry them easily to the barbecue.

Fire up your barbecue ready for direct or indirect grilling. If you are cooking in the oven, preheat it to 200°C fan.

Put the stock into a pan, set over a high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, slowly pour in the polenta, stirring constantly so no lumps form. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring all the time, until thickened – about five minutes.

Take a little care, as it does have a tendency to spit molten bubbles. Turn off the heat and add the butter and most of the Parmesan (reserving a little for later), stirring until it’s melted and smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper and spoon into the cut pepper halves, making sure it goes into the corners and crevices.

Use tongs to carefully slide the peppers directly on to the grill bars, or put them into the oven on a tray. Cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the peppers are lightly charred on the base and soft to the touch and the polenta is crisping up a little on top. Start the peppers off away from the heat source until they begin to soften, then slide them directly over the fire to finish cooking. If you are grilling with gas, start with a lower flame and gradually increase the heat towards the end of cooking.

When the peppers are about halfway cooked, put the butter, capers and whole sage leaves into a heatproof skillet and rest it on the barbecue directly over the fire. Alternatively, set the pan on the hob over a medium-high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the butter is lightly caramelised and the capers and sage are crisp.

To serve, transfer the peppers to a platter and pour over the butter sauce. Finish with a final grating of Parmesan and eat immediately.

From Charred by Genevieve Taylor (£16.99, Quadrille), out now