Stuff a Pepper in it....

      People know how to stuff turkeys and their faces, but most forget that you can stuff other items as well. I've stuffed pork chops (so delicious), chicken (like a turkey right?), and peppers (full of meaty tomato-ness).

       I can understand the apprehension that faces people when the prospect of stuffing something is presented to them. It appears to be a time consuming task, and that ever present fear of "what happens if it bursts? falls over? splits? doesn't taste good?". Stuffed foods can seem fancy and may seem like something that is outside of your skill set, but it doesn't have to be. This is, by far, the easiest stuffed pepper recipe ever. When I was looking for a good recipe, I found some with about 17 steps where you had to blanch the peppers and line them in such a way that you would burn your hands. I wasn't looking for a recipe where injury was certain (I like to keep it a surprise).

So, here's what you need:
1 lbs ground beef or pork (I used pork)
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown)
1 cup water
6 green bell peppers - Make sure you choose ones that are stable when set on their 'lobes'
2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning (equal parts basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
slices of Mozzarella cheese


1. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

2. Place the rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes (or just make rice in rice cooker according to instructions)

3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the meat until evenly browned.

4. Cut off the tops of the peppers and discard the seed, stem and membrane. Cut up the top and toss in with the meat. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward.

5. In a bowl, mix the browned meat, cooked rice, 1 can of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper.

6. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasonings in a bowl and pour over the stuffed peppers.

7. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.








8. Arrange mozzarella slices over cooked stuffed peppers and return to oven to melt.

           This is a great recipe because you could do all the prep work earlier in the day, stuff the peppers and have them ready to toss in the oven as your guests arrive. You'll have them all fooled that you've been slaving in the kitchen all day to prepare such an exquisite meal.

          You could try different combinations of cheeses, herbs, sauces. One unique stuffed pepper I saw was to use roast beef (in place of ground meat), BBQ sauce, and provolone cheese to make a phili-cheese steak pepper. I might try that one next.

Enjoy!

Mel

Cheese, Peas, Prosciutto...Oh My!

              Pasta and cheese just seem to go together like two peas in a pod. However, you don't always want, or need, to get that cheesy pasta fix from a blue box (seriously, is it just me or is that little blue box with only 1.5 servings getting more and more expensive?). Why not make a homemade mac and cheese, or dare I say, mac and 4 cheese? The pasta cheese pea pod is only made a little cozier by tossing in some actual peas and delicious prosciutto.

Here's what you need

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk or cream
1 tbsp sea salt
1 box of Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup grated Havarti or Fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1 package Prosciutto, diced
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh, but not canned)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper


* Prep all your ingredients before you start*


1. Fill a large pot with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.

2. Cook pasta for the appropriate length of time for 'al dente' (take a look at the box).






3. Saute the butter in a large frying pan (at least a 12").

4. Add the milk/cream.











5. Once the cream is heated add a few tablespoons to your egg yolks and whisk. This will temper your eggs. If you don't do this then you will scramble your eggs when you add them to the pasta.









6. Drain the pasta when it's finished cooking. and add it to the cream/butter mixture.
















7. Add the tempered egg yolks, all cheeses, and the pepper. Stir well.

8. Add the prosciutto and the peas stirring well after each addition.

















9. Cook and stir for a few minutes until all the pasta is coated in a nice gooey cheese mixture.








            This makes a lot of pasta, about 6-8 servings, so be prepared for leftovers or to feed everyone you know. We do find that it improves as the week goes on though. You could mix and match cheeses, asiago is a little sharp, so I found that the Havarti softens the flavour (and I couldn't find Fontina in the grocery store).

                                                                                                                                    Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                          Mel