Photo/Illutration Stuffed peppers with meat with cheese on top (Chikako Tada)

I went to Hungary to cover the Women’s Handball Qualification Tournaments for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in April. I was in the arena all the time, and of course, I couldn’t miss the Hungarian specialty, goulash, a homey soup made with beef, peppers and tomatoes.

Whenever I went to eat there, I always made sure to order it. Depending on the diner, it can be thick like beef stew, or a lighter version.

Each restaurant has a different flavor, which I enjoyed. Some added a little pasta (csipetke). Some restaurants served it in a washbasin-like bowl, which was modeled after bogracs, pots used for cooking outdoors in Hungary. Seeing how people live through their food is one of the joys of travel.

Paprika red peppers are in the same family as green peppers. Green peppers have a distinctive taste, while red and yellow peppers are milder. Paprika powder, an essential ingredient in goulash, is also bright red but not very hot.

Bell peppers are likely to be a regular on the list of “vegetables that children do not like.” Their season runs from about now through the summer, although they are available year-round.

I would love to have peppers on the dinner table and in lunch boxes, but my 12-year-old doesn’t like them very much. He recently started eating stuffed peppers with ketchup. Of course, you can use paprika peppers for this dish. Red paprika have more vitamin C than bell peppers.

I used to use cooking shears to remove the stalk, but lately, I like to push them in with my thumb. A bit rough? No, fingers are great kitchen tools!

Ingredients for 2 servings
3 or 4 green peppers / 1 tsp flour / 150 grams ground meat (beef, pork or chicken) / 1/2 onion / 3 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs / 3 Tbsp milk / 1 Tbsp tomato ketchup / 1 tsp soy sauce / 1/3 tsp salt / pinch of nutmeg / 2 slices of cheese

Directions
1. Cut the green bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the core and seeds, then dust with flour.

2. Coarsely chop the onion.

3. Place all ingredients except the peppers and cheese slices in a bowl. Knead well until the mixture is sticky.

4. Stuff the green pepper halves with the meat mixture.

5. Roast in the oven or on the grill for about 10 minutes.

6. Cut cheese slices into 6 or 8 pieces and place on top of stuffed peppers while still hot.

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Scan this QR code with your smartphone to view the recipe video in English.
https://www.youtube.com/c/PenandSpoon

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This article originally appeared in the June 9, 2024, issue of Asahi Weekly.

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Chikako Tada

Chikako Tada: The author of seven cookbooks, Tada is a Japanese food journalist and editor of Pen & Spoon, a website devoted to food (https://pen-and-spoon.com/). She worked as a newspaper reporter for 12 years before going freelance. She spent two years studying baking in Paris and began making bento around 2016 during her seven-year stay in India. She returned to Japan in 2020 and lives in Fukuoka.

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