VEGETARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS (ZEYTINYAGLI BIBER DOLMASI)

This is a wonderful vegetarian recipe.  Aroma of allspice and cinnamon combined with dill and other herbs makes it appeal to your sense of smell as well as your sense of taste.  Use of different coloured peppers adds colour to your dinner table..This recipe is good for stuffing all kinds of vegetables.  Try stuffing egglplants, zucchini, grape leaves or cabbage for other varieties.  I like squeezing additional lemon juice on my stuffed peppers.  My daughters prefer yogurt and garlic sauce. 

2 cups plain white rice
4 cups boling water (1/2 for the rice, 1/2 for the stuffed peppers)
1 cup olive oil
6 - 7 medium onions
1 table spoon pine nuts
2 table spoonts currants
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch dill
1 table spoon dried mint flakes
1 table spoon salt (or as you like)
1 whole lemon juice
1 teaspoon each of sugar, allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
750 gr. cubannella peppers
Optional: 1-2 Roma Tomatos (sliced to be used as "cap")

• Note: Size and type of the peppers and the amount of rice you will need are directly related.  For example, if you are using mix of big red peppers and cubannella peppers, big red peppers will require more stuffing just because they are bigger.  You'll need to do this sizing by sight.  I used 1.5 tablespoons as average per pepper
• Chop the onions using a chopper or grade them.
• Stir fry onions and pine nuts in 3/4 cup oil
• Add in rice and stir fry together a little longer.  Add in equal amount of boiling to the amount of rice you used.  For example, if your rice was 2 cups, use 2 cup of boiling water.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until rice looks more like a pilaf.  This is approximately 10 - 15 minutes.  Be sure to stir occassionally.  Let it rest for 20 minutes.
• While you are waiting for the rice to cool a bit wash and prepare your peppers by cutting the top parts off and removing all the seeds.  You can make a cap with the top part for presentation purposes but make sure the seeds on the inside the "cap" are all removed.  Chop parsley, and dill.  Juice the lemon, wash your currants and prepare your spices.
• Combine all of the herbs and spices with rice.  Now you are ready to stuff the peppers.
• Stuff all your peppers.  Put the "caps" on them.  The "cap" can be a slice of tomato or the top of the pepper.  Place them in a single layer in a large pot.
• Pour in 2 cups of boiling water from the side of the pot.  Put the lid on a little bit ajar.
• Cook in medium heat until all of the water is gone.  This may take 30 minutes.  You will find the peppers will soften.  In the last 5 minutes, keep an eye to make sure they do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pot.