I’m very pleased with the Kandil dolma peppers I picked this morning and even more so with the 60 or so still growing on our 12 plants. This is quite a special variety with a distinctive spicy flavour which reminds me of peppers I ate as a child in Turkey. A couple of years ago I ordered some seeds from Kokopelli, the seed-saving organisation, but only one plant germinated. Luckily, it grew and produced peppers from which I saved the seeds and this year we have a dozen or so plants all doing very well in the garden.
I picked 6 small peppers this morning, partly because I can’t wait to try them again and partly to help the others grow. Here they are with a couple of aubergines and a few Languedocian tomatoes.
I stuffed the peppers with rice, tomato, sweet onion and oregano, and we’ll eat them cold with a little lemon juice in the garden this evening. The recipe is on my Mediterranean food blog.
The tomato was simply to use up extra stuffing and fill up space in the dish.
olivesandartichokes 
I had never heard of these peppers before, they sound wonderful. And how great that despite a small crop last year you´ve managed to save seeds and end up with a bumper one this year. I think they were just settling themselves in slowly. Recipe looks lovely too. I like the Greek and Turkish way of serving much of their food – cook early in the day when it´s cooler then serve it later at room temperature! Much more sensible….
Hi chicaandaluza: I hadn’t heard of them either until I saw them on the Kokopelli website and realised that the ‘dolma’ bit meant they were for stuffing (as in dolmas made with vine leaves). When I grew them and tasted them the flavour reminded me of Turkey! I’ll be saving seed again this year if you’re interested…..(but mustn’t count on the seeds till the peppers have ripened!)
Hi! These peppers look like friarelli peppers, which are typical of Naples, Italy. I really liked the way you stuffed them!! Very tasty recipe.
Hi gisellecagli: I think these are more bell-shaped than the friarelli peppers. I haven’t tried friarelli, but I love all varieties of peppers so I’m sure they’d be delicious!
Oh yes, I´ll put my name down for some seeds…but let´s not count the chickens till they´re hatched, wouldn´t want to jinx you!
I’ll let you know how they do this summer!
I also love all varieties of peppers. Friarellis are deliciuos, specially when fried in oilve oil!!
What a lovely, healthy looking crop of peppers! I shall have to look for these in the Turkish greengrocers in North London and try out your recipe.