MARY’S STUFFED PEPPERS

Our friend, Mary, sends stuffed peppers to Guy occasionally, so I asked her for her recipe.  Trouble is, Mary doesn’t have a recipe.  She’s one of those spontaneous cooks that I admire greatly.  She did her best, though, to write a recipe down for me, but some of the ingredients were a bit obscure, like “seasonings such as those used in meatloaf.”  After I made these and plated them, we both realized that Mary’s peppers do not have slices of tomatoes in the broth.  Maybe she purees the tomato slices from the canned stewed tomatoes and adds them to the meat mixture.  Well, no matter, these were still delicious, and we enjoyed them.  Guy got his thin sauce, and he liked these better than my first attempt.

What I like about this recipe is that the peppers are cooked on top of the stove rather than in the oven.  Any time I can save electricity by keeping the oven off, I gladly do it (our electric rates are ridiculously high.) Mary's recipe is for 6 peppers but I only had 5 peppers, so I did some quick math to adapt ingredient amounts.

Mary’s Stuffed Peppers, adapted Rating:  9 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS:  5 large green peppers, tops, membranes and seeds removed 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion (3/4 to 1 cup), finely chopped 2 cloves garlic (1 tsp.), grated or minced 1-1/4 lbs. ground beef 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt 2/3 cup cooked Jasmine rice 2 tsp. chopped fresh basil 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes 1 (14.5 oz.) can low-sodium beef broth Enough tomato juice to almost cover peppers 1/3 cup coarsely chopped onion 1/3 cup coarsely chopped green pepper (from tops) Rinse peppers and place, upside down, on paper towels to drain.   In large saute pan, cook onion in oil over medium heat till onion is transparent and wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Cool; set aside. When onions are cool, add ground beef, salt, rice and herbs.  (If desired, remove slices of tomatoes from can of stewed tomatoes, and puree or smash with fingers or fork, then add to meat mixture.)  Mix lightly but thoroughly.  Stuff peppers but do not pack tightly. In soup pot or dutch oven, combine stewed tomatoes and broth.  Add peppers and enough tomato juice to almost cover them.  Sprinkle with pieces of onion and pepper.    Cook over medium—high heat till liquids boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for about 45 minutes, or till meat mixture registers 135-140F.  Do not overcook or peppers will be mushy.   Remove peppers from liquid and place in serving bowls.  Ladle liquid over and around peppers.  Yield:  5 servings

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH GROUND BEEF AND RICE

So hubby’s been complaining that I don’t make enough comfort food for him.  Our friend, Mary, sends him over stuffed peppers now and then, and he was wondering why I can’t make them, like I used to back in the day.  And to drive the point home,  he grew a batch of bell peppers this year that were stellar specimens.  As they turned red, I started roasting them.  But the peppers were growing faster than we could eat them.  So I decided to make him happy. 

Instead of using my old family favorite recipe, I searched the internet for a new idea.  A half batch (3 peppers) would be enough to try it out.  Look at these gorgeous peppers from our garden:


Green peppers will make a firmer shell for the stuffing, but red peppers are sweeter.  Just be sure not to overcook the peppers, whether they’re green or red. 

Now for Guy’s critique – he loved the flavor but prefers green peppers for their firmness.  He also doesn’t appreciate thick sauces, like this one, even though the taste was amazing.  I loved these and would have stopped searching, but he wanted stuffed green peppers, thin sauce, less rice.  Well we had plenty of peppers, so why not?  More posting to come.

In the meantime, if you like thick sauces, this is a great recipe, full of flavor.  I’m printing the full batch because you will want all six peppers.  And, P.S., they taste even better when reheated later in the week. 

Stuffed Peppers with Ground Beef and Rice Adapted from About.com Southern Food Rating:  9/10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 6 sweet bell peppers, washed, tops cut off, seeds and membranes removed 1 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped celery tops from peppers, finely chopped 1 small garlic clove, grated 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. dried oregano (not Mexican) 1-3/4 tsp. Diamond kosher salt, divided 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided 1 egg 1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef 1-1/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice Turn cut peppers upside down on paper towels to drain.  Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot.  Saute onion, celery and peppers 5-10 minutes, till vegetables are tender.  Add garlic, cook 1 minute, stirring; add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, herbs, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Simmer about 10 minutes, till blended.  Cool. In large mixing bowl, whisk egg with remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1-1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.  Add beef, rice and 1 cup of the tomato mixture.  Mix well with hands or spoon.  Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish.  Pour remaining tomato mixture over peppers.  Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 40-50 minutes, or till thermometer inserted in center of peppers registers 135 – 140F.  Don’t overcook or peppers will be too soft.  Let peppers rest 10-15 minutes before serving.  Great with mashed potatoes.  Yield:  6 servings