Peppers produce a smell that has come to describe fall in Bulgaria. All around Balchik, I can smell roasted peppers.

Conserving peppers is a great experience - even for city slickers with their fancy supermarkets. It gives one something to do on boring days - a chance to experience Bulgarian culture and talk with that Baba you can never understand. If you want to learn how to conserve peppers, ask your colleagues for advice or hire a Baba. Thinking about conserving peppers with the Baba last year gives me warm fuzzy feelings.

Since most people are too lazy to conserve, peppers can also be roasted in the oven. This is not a difficult process. The peppers must be washed and cleaned out first, and cooked on a pan with a little water to prevent sticking. Oven temperature is a healthy 200°C.

Place the oven rack as high as possible and wait until the pepper skins are blackened on both sides. This may be obvious, but you must rotate the peppers in order for this to happen. Once the skins are blackened, place them in a covered pot for about 10 minutes and then peel the skins.

Allow me to suggest two delicious, easy to make pepper dishes: stuffed peppers with sirene and mushrooms, and roasted pepper salad. The roasted pepper salad is a nice alternative to shopska salad, while the stuffed peppers are the healthier version of the fried pepper burek.

These recipes are my variations from a Bulgarian cookbook my friends gave me, which includes many simple recipes. It attempts to explain the rocket science of Bulgarian cooking, but does not fully accomplish this task. Sometimes, there are no concrete measurements for ingredients, leaving me to wonder what size glass I must use when a recipe calls for a glass of water.

Enjoy the roasted peppers this fall, and, next week, I will appease carnivores by writing about meat dishes.

Roasted Pepper Salad

1/2kg red or green peppers, roasted
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
5 large spoonfuls oil
5 large spoonfuls vinegar
4 heads of garlic, pressed
Salt (optional)

Directions: Place garlic in frying pan with two spoonfuls of oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, then place into a bowl with vinegar and remaining oil. Dip peppers into this mixture, and then slice into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl or plate. Pour remaining oil and vinegar sauce over peppers. Onions and parsley may be placed on the side, or sprinkled over the peppers. This salad can also be made using less oil and vinegar.

Stuffed Peppers with Sirene and Mushrooms

8-10 roasted peppers
300g sirene
3 eggs
8-10 mushrooms, finely chopped
Black pepper
Basil
Garlic powder
Yoghurt
Salt (optional)

Directions: Mix eggs. Crumble sirene into small pieces, then add to egg mixture. Mix in mushrooms and spices for flavouring. Stuff peppers gently with sirene mixture - be careful because the peppers may tear. Place some water at the bottom of a pan, and bake peppers at 175°C for about 30 minutes or until done. Yoghurt can be used as a topping.

Joseph Herr is a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer currently working in Balchik. His column appears weekly and he can be contacted at jdherr75@sabreshockey.com.