Sunday, February 19, 2012

Stuffed Red Peppers


What You Will Need:

2-4 large red peppers, adjust recipe accordingly.
1/2 pound ground beef  (I used Pat LaFrieda's Original Blend)
3/4 cup white rice (I used Teximati)
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 garlic clove chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
8-12 ounces of tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce (depending on your taste, some may even like to use soy sauce)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

What To Do First:

Use the tomato sauce you learned to make here: http://couplesfoodtherapy.blogspot.com/2010/04/infamous-sauce-recipe.html

Cook your ground beef (we prefer Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors) Drain and set aside, still juicy is good.

Cook your favorite white or brown rice al dente. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut off pepper tops around stems, save some of the tops to chop up and add to your stuffing mixture. Scoop seeds from pepper cavities. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, garlic, black pepper and salt with the chopped pepper pieces. Sauté mixture until onions soften and a wonderful aroma fills the kitchen. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in cooked rice, the rest of your spices, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, the ground beef and 1 egg.

What To Do Next:

I like to pre-roast my peppers in the oven for 10 minutes before filling them. Coat the insides with a little oil and salt mixture to season and draw out the moisture. Drain before filling.
Then...
Fill pepper cavities with the beef and herb rice mix.

Stand filled peppers in a casserole dish with enough space around them to bathe in more of the tomato sauce
Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Remove the foil and spoon the juice from bottom of the casserole over the top of the peppers. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!