Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking dish with high sides.
Cut the tops off the pepper and discard any seeds. Set tops aside. Place the pepper “shells” in a roasting dish, drizzle with about a tsp of olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes to pre=soften them, while you prepare the filling. When done, set aside.
Dice the red portion of the tops. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the peppers, celery, onion, and fennel seeds over medium heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Covering the pan helps, especially toward the end. Add salt and a bit more oil if mixture gets too dry.
Mix in parsley and herbes de Provençe. Crumble sausage with your hands and mix this or the beans in, along with the barley. Mix very well, then, using a tablespoon, pack the filling into the peppers, stuffing as much as you can into each one.
Drizzle the peppers with the remaining olive oil, cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until soft.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Variations:
Substitute cooked millet, couscous, brown rice, or spelt for the barley.
Use green peppers instead of red, or try stuffing other veggies like onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, or pre-soften eggplant. [Adjust the baking times accordingly.]
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