Potato and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers

This is the dish that reminds me of home. A dish that breaths summer air and proudly bursts with seasonal vegetables. A dish that was often on my family table when I was a child. Everything coming from our garden. Those times when food on our table was really genuine, when peppers tasted like peppers and tomatoes were really tomatoes, everything absolutely pesticide and other chemicals free, and most of all, sunbathed until ripe, imprisoning all the flavours to be released only once you would bite into them.
I feel a bit homesick, nostalgic, when I think about those times. Because I can't find those flavours in food I eat today.
So forgive me if I'm sharing this recipe now that we are already one month into the autumn, and if I prepared it with probably last "good" vegetables of the season. But, just as I felt a sudden urge to prepare it, in the same way I feel I should share the recipe with you. 'Cause I'm sure there are still lucky folks out there who grow and enjoy their own veggies... And as far as seasonal food, well it's always summer somewhere   ^_^

Potato and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers

* 4-6 small to medium sized peppers (sweet, bell peppers or similar)
* 2 medium sized potatoes
* 1 medium sized zucchini
* 1 small onion
* 1 egg
* 1 TBspoon butter
* salt and pepper, to taste

                                                 


Using a small kitchen knife, cut all around and remove the stem from the peppers. Clean the inside from the seeds and internal divisions. Wash the peppers, in and out, let the dry on a kitchen towel.
Peel the potatoes and shred them using a grater with big holes.
Cut both ends off the zucchini and shred it, too.
Finely chop the onion, or grate it on a small hole grater.
Put all the vegetables in a bowl.
Add the egg, little softened and chopped butter, salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
Mix well with your hands and then fill the peppers with this mixture, pressing it well.
Place the peppers into a deep baking dish, lightly oiled.
Drizzle a little oil on top of the peppers and bake them in an oven preheated to 180°C for 45-60 minutes (or until the peppers and golden brown on the outside and you can feel the potatoes are soft when pricked with a fork, or however, take a little bit of filling and taste to see if they are done).
Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Serve with some mixed or tomato salad as a side, plus sour cream as a topping.

Peperoni ripieni con patate e zucchine

* 4-6 peperoni dolci (piccoli o medi)
* 2 patate medie
* 1 zucchina media
* 1 cipolla piccola
* 1 uovo
* 1 cucchiaio di burro, a tocchetti
* sale e pepe, qb.

Con un coltellino affilato, ritagliate e rimuovete il picciolo e ripulite l'interno dai semi e filamenti. Lavateli e lasciateli scolare e asciugare.
Pelate le patate e grattugiatele con una grattugia a fori grossi.
Spuntate la zucchina e grattugiatela nello stesso modo.
Pulite la cipolla e sminuzzatela o grattugiate anche essa con la grattugia a fori piccoli.
Mettete le verdure in una ciotola, unite l'uvo, il burro leggermente morbido e tagliato a tocchetti, sale e pepe. Mescolate tutto con le mani.
Riempite i peperoni e sistemateli in una teglia, unta con un po' di olio.
Scaldate il forno a 180°C e cuocete i peperoni per circa 45-60 minuti, dipende dalla grandezza. Quando sono leggermente abbrustoliti in superficie e il ripieno risulta morbido se lo infilzate con una forchetta (o comunque potete prendere un po' di ripieno e assaggiarlo), sono pronti.
Serviteli caldi, accompagnati con la panna acida (se vi piace) e un insalata mista o di soli pomodori.

Paprike punjene krumpirom i tikvicama

* 4-6 paprika (manjih do srednje velikih)
* 2 srednje velika krumpira
* 1 srednje velika tikvica
* 1 manja glavica crvenog luka
* 1 jaje
* 1 žlica maslaca, nasjeckanog na listiće
* sol i papar, po ukusu

Izdubite paprike tako da uklonite stapku, sjemenke i untarnje pregrade, ali da vam paprike ostanu cijele. Operite ih i posušite.
Krumpir ogulite i naribajte na krupni ribež.
Tikvici odrežite krajeve pa i nju naribajte na krupni ribež.
Luk očistite i sitno nasjeckajte (ili ga naribajte na sitni ribež).
stavite povrće u zdjelu, dodajte jaje, maslac, sol i papar, Izmiješajte rukama da se svi sastojci ravnomjerno raspodijele.
Napunite paprike i složite ih u malo nauljenu posudu za pečenje.
Zagrijte pećnicu na 180°C.
Stavite peći paprike, 45-60 minuta, ovisno o veličini paprika (paprike će dobiti boju iz vana, i kad ubodete vilicom krumpir treba biti mekan, ili izvadite malo punjenja i kušajte da vidite je li dobro pečen).
Poslužite paprike tople uz sezonsku salatu (miješanu ili samo od rajčica)  i poželji prelivene kiselim vrhnjem.