Chushki Byurek

Ingredients

• •8 small red bell peppers
• •1/2 lb ground pork
• •7 oz sirene (Bulgarian white brined cheese), crumbled
• •1 egg (for the filling)
• •2 cloves garlic, minced
• •2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• •1 cup flour
• •2 eggs, beaten (for coating)
• •1 cup breadcrumbs
• •2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• •Salt to taste
• •Pepper to taste

Steps

1. 1.Preheat the oven to 400°F and roast the whole peppers for 15-20 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened in spots. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes.
2. 2.Peel off the skins, then carefully slit each pepper along one side and remove the seeds and core, keeping the pepper otherwise whole - roasting and peeling first is what makes the peppers tender enough to stuff and fold without splitting.
3. 3.Cook the ground pork in a pan until browned, breaking it up as it cooks, then let cool slightly.
4. 4.Mix the cooked pork with the crumbled sirene, 1 egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
5. 5.Stuff each roasted pepper with the filling, then gently press closed around the opening.
6. 6.Set up a breading station: flour in one dish, the 2 beaten eggs in another, and breadcrumbs in a third.
7. 7.Dredge each stuffed pepper in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently to coat evenly.