Bulgarian Chushki Burek: Feta-Stuffed Roasted Peppers in Golden Crumbs

Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame or under a hot broiler, turning often, until the skins blister and blacken all over, about 10 minutes. Do not be timid here; the char is what gives the finished dish its smoke.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 8 long sweet red peppers, such as Marconi or kapia
• 10 ounces (280g) Bulgarian sirene or firm feta, crumbled
• 1 farm egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 farm eggs, beaten, for coating
• 1/2 cup (60g) plain flour
• 1 cup (100g) fine dry breadcrumbs
• Sunflower oil, for shallow frying
• Thick plain yogurt and a pinch of paprika, to serve

Instructions

1. Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame or under a hot broiler, turning often, until the skins blister and blacken all over, about 10 minutes. Do not be timid here; the char is what gives the finished dish its smoke.
2. Pile the hot peppers into a bowl and cover tightly for 15 minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skins so they slip off with barely any effort.
3. Peel the peppers, then carefully slit each one down one side and lift out the seed core, keeping the pepper otherwise whole. Lay them on a towel to drain any pooled juice.
4. Mash the crumbled sirene with one beaten egg, the parsley and black pepper into a thick, spoonable paste. Taste before salting, as the cheese is already assertive.
5. Spoon the cheese into each pepper through its slit, filling it plumply but not so much that it splits. Press the slit closed and pat the pepper into a neat flat parcel.
6. Set up three shallow dishes: flour, the remaining beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. Roll each stuffed pepper in flour, then egg, then crumbs, pressing so the coating clings evenly.
7. Heat half an inch of sunflower oil in a wide skillet until a crumb sizzles briskly on contact. Fry the peppers in batches, turning once, until the crust is deep gold, about 2 minutes per side.
8. Lift them onto a rack rather than paper so the underside stays crisp, and season with a little salt while they are still glossy with heat.
9. Serve hot, with cold yogurt dusted with paprika for dipping. Warn everyone that the cheese inside runs molten for the first few minutes.
10. Chushki burek is a Bulgarian meze staple whose name borrows the Turkish word for a pastry even though there is no pastry in it at all, the breadcrumb crust standing in for the dough. It belongs to the late-summer weeks when kapia peppers flood the markets and households roast them by the crate for winter preserving, setting aside the best few for frying that same evening.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 340 kcal
• Protein: 15g
• Fat: 22g
• Carbohydrates: 21g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 7g
• Sodium: 820mg