Stuffed Bell Peppers: A Recipe
Bell peppers, green, red, yellow.
The color can be green, red, yellow, orange and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, and brown, depending on when they are harvested depending upon the specific cultivar Green peppers are unripe bell peppers, while the others are all ripe, with the color variation based on cultivar selection. Because they are unripe, green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow, orange, or red peppers.
The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.
Late summer (September) is the pepper season and the markets should have a variety to choose from, here is a recipe you can make with either red, green or yellow bell peppers. It is also tomato season so there will be fresh tomatoes available. This is a great recipe for fresh tomatoes.
Stuffed peppers:
Ingredients:
4 green, yellow, or red bell peppers
Sea salt
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb of lean ground beef
1 1/2 cup of cooked rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
Preparation:
1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem end, and remove seeds.
Add sea salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green (or red if red peppers) and their flesh slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
Drain, set aside to cool.
2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.
3 Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp. Oil inside peppers, arrange cut side up in a baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling.
Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over filling.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish.
Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature of the stuffed pepper is 150-160°F.
Enjoy.
