Paneer is a very mild, ‘searable’ white cheese available locally. It crumbles to a crispy, chewy satisfying texture. Combined with one of our more exotic oil & vinegar combos, this spicy tomato sauce is a bit adventurous but not far from your comfort zone! Delicious served over rice or quinoa. Created for Umeboshi Plum White Balsamic and Gochujang Olive Oil.
Ingredients
4 Tbsp Harissa Olive Oil, divided
12 oz (350 gm) paneer, sliced into 1/2″ slabs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 (1″-2″) piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 Tbsp Blenheim Apricot White Balsamic Vinegar
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt
4 red or yellow bell peppers, halved through stem end, ribs and seeds removed
Chopped fresh cilantro (for serving)
Directions
Heat 3 Tbsp Harissa Olive Oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
Cook paneer slabs in a single layer, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes, turn over and cook other side until golden brown, another 2 minutes.
Transfer to a medium bowl; let cool, then crumble & set aside. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger to the same stockpot, stir to coat, then add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric, and cook stirring often for about 5 minutes.
Combine Apricot Balsamic with 2 Tbsp water, add to pot and deglaze, scraping up any tasty brown bits from the bottom.
Stir in tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, and stir in the paneer.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 15–20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cake pan or loaf pan (depending on how many peppers you make) with parchment or tinfoil.
Nestle peppers cut side up, in the pan, so they won’t spill.
Spoon sauce into each pepper half. Bake until peppers are tender and top is lightly browned, 25–30 minutes.
Transfer stuffed peppers to plates and top with cilantro.
Chef Note:
This recipe has some HEAT but isn’t ‘stupid hot’. If you can’t take the heat, cut back or omit the cayenne pepper and halve the jalapeño.
Many stuffed pepper recipes incorporate ground beef to ‘beef it up’, you could but you really don’t need to, just ‘paneer it up’ instead!
Recipe serves four (with a side), you can also prepare all the sauce and refrigerate half or more and make it up with fresh peppers over a couple of nights.