Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 3 votes

Felfel Mehchi

Felfel mehchi, a stuffed pepper dish from Tunisia made with bull's horn bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, cheese, vegetables, and spices, and topped with a spicy red sauce.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Tunisian , North African

Ingredients

  • 6 long sweet peppers (bull's horns)
For the stuffing
  • ¾ lb ground beef
  • 2 onions , finely grated
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 3 oz. grated cheese
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons water (cold)
  • 2 eggs , slightly beaten
  • salt
  • pepper
For the sauce
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 Chili pepper
  • 5 cloves garlic , pressed
  • 2 tablespoons harissa
  • 6 cups water
  • salt
  • pepper
Equipment
  • Dutch oven
  • Baking dish

Instructions

Sauce
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over low heat and sauté the tomato paste and harissa for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
  2. Add the garlic and the whole chili pepper. Add salt and pepper.
  3. Add water, mix well and bring to a boil over high heat.
  4. After one minute of boiling, lower the heat and simmer covered during the preparation of the stuffed peppers.
Stuffing
  1. In a bowl, combine the meat, onions, parsley, grated cheese, grounds coriander, chilli powder, eggs and 2 tablespoons cold water. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Mix well and knead the meat for a few minutes.
Peppers
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180˚C).
  2. Remove the stems of the peppers, and using a fine and sharp knife, empty them of all the seeds and ribs.
  3. Using a spoon or pastry bag, stuff each pepper with the minced meat.
  4. Place the peppers in a large baking dish. Pour over the stewed sauce.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes.
  6. At the end of baking, using the blade of a thin knife, test the tenderness of the peppers and meat.
  7. Continue baking for 15 minutes if necessary.