Stuffed Dried Bell peppers

It is very common drying (dehydrating) summer vegetables to be used during the winter in Anatolia.  Despite the fact we can find summer vegetables in the market even during the winter I still enjoy the recipes prepared with dried vegetables if they dehydrated right.
Insoluble elements like riboflavin (Vitamin B) don’t lose nutritious value by drying but soluble elements like ascorbic acid would lose the their nutritious value by drying.  Drying the vegetable or fruit with high heat also cause denaturation of the proteins.  
The potassium and sodium and also some minerals increase in naturally dried products.
In short, if you know which product and how to dry, you may enjoy the taste of the meal as well as receiving good nutrient. 

Kitchen tips:
1-DRYING VEGETABLES:
-Choose rather small and thin skin bell peppers and long dark purple eggplants.
-Wash well,
-Carefully cut the stem part of the bell pepper and clean the inside keeping the whole pepper intact.
- Divide the eggplants in half horizontally and dig the inside out very carefully keeping the vegetable intact.
-You can use as many as bell pepper or eggplant as u like.
- Put all cores emptied vegetables in to a string with the help of big needle.
- They can be dried dangling in warm place (under the sun during the day). And dry them until they absolutely very dry. 
-This is the easiest and most natural way to dry this two vegetable

2-POMEGRANATE SAUCE
-To obtain the sauce boil the pomegranate juice until it thickens 2 pomegranate is enough for this recipe.
-You can always find pomegranate sauce jarred in Mediterranean stores.

Ingredients:
30 count small sun dried bell pepper or halved egg plant
2 mid size onion (chopped in small cubes)
1/2 C bulgur
1 C rice
1 Tbsp. hot pepper paste
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2/3 C olive oil
2/3 C fresh mint (minced)
1 head of garlic (minced)
1 lemon (juiced)
4 Tbsp. sour sauce (pomegranate syrup)
1 Tbsp. salt

Making:
Boil the dried vegetables for 5 minutes until they get soft.

Rinse rice and bulgur very well set a side.

Sautee onions until they get translucent in olive oil.

Add rice and bulgur keep sautéing on medium heat.

Add tomato and hot pepper paste, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

Add 1 C of water and cook it on low heat for 10 minutes.

Take off the heat add pomegranate sauce, lemon juice and minced mint into half cooked rice (and bulgur) 

Fill the boiled peppers and eggplants half way, place in a pan. 

Mix ½ Tbsp. tomato and ½ Tbsp.   pepper paste in 2 cups of water.

Cook the stuffed vegetable with lid closed for 15 minutes. 

Transfer in a serving dish, drizzle whipped yogurt.

Serve immediately.
Enjoy.

Note: You can enjoy with this recipe using ground beef instead bulgur; nevertheless I think as an appetizer meatless recipe is better. 


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