Peppers with Chestnut Filling – Kestaneli Dolma Biber

The winter season brings back memories of my grandparents. We often baked chestnuts in the oven. Grandmother pulled the chestnuts crackling onto a kitchen towel. We tried to peel the roasted chestnuts and couldn’t wait to take the first bite.
In Germany you get chestnuts everywhere and you can buy already pre-cooked ones. So it makes cooking with chestnuts much easier. I use chestnuts quite often for fillings instead of rice, bulgur or bread cubes.
This dish is prepared in no time and put in the oven. It is a very simple but delicious dish. I like the sweet peppers with the tasty filling. Serve with a small salad and crusty bread. Yummy! Enjoy it! Afiyet olsun!

Ingredients for two people

2 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
75 g cooked chestnuts, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small tomato, peeled and diced
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
50g grated mature cheese as Kaşar, old Gouda, Edam, Cheddar and Parmesan
1 pinch paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp grated cheese to sprinkle
1 tablespoon olive oil to drizzle

1. Preheat oven to 220 º C (fan 200 º C). Grease a baking dish.
2. In a bowl mix all ingredients well. Season with paprika, salt and freshly ground pepper. Set the peppers into a baking dish. Fill pepper halves and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Bake peppers about 20-30 minutes. Serve with a fresh salad and bread. Bon appetit! Afiyet olsun!