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We have peppers!

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Two of them – oh boy! What a joke. The six pepper plants kept dropping their blossoms – what is that about? Too much rain? These two nicely-sized peppers have been mocking me since Saturday when I picked them and tonight I’m going to make one of my favorites – stuffed peppers. My dad made the best stuffed peppers, but was always very vague about his recipe, like all good cooks are. I’ll share my recipe, but must warn you that I’m no cook.

2 large green peppers (how convenient; that’s all I’ve got)
3/4 lb. ground beef, pork, lamb, or sausage (I use lean ground beef)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 7.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up (fresh would be nice; I use a petit cut with Italian spices)
1/3 cup long grain rice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I’m generous with it – love the stuff!)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or oregano (I use both)
1/2 cup shredded American cheese

Halve peppers lengthwise, removing stems, seeds and membranes. Immerse peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes. Sprinkle insides with salt. Invert on paper towels to drain well.

In a skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, Worcestershire, basil and oregano, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in a baking dish and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

This same mixture can be used to fill zucchini or cabbage rolls. There is always just enough meat mixture left in the pan after filling the peppers that I can stand over the stove and eat hobo-style. I especially like this recipe because the peppers are just blanched and stay nice and crunchy. I always serve this with mashed potatoes and extra sauce on the side. Yum! Off to eat and enjoy.

10 thoughts on “We have peppers!”

  1. Sounds like your pepper plants did just about as well as my tomato plants, which is to say “I don’t think I’ll even bother next year”.
    Your stuffed pepper recipe sounds delicious, though. Enjoy!

  2. Sounds like a good recipe! It seems that organic green peppers abound at the local farmer’s market, but if I can harvest one or two in a year, it’s exceptional. Of course, I live in the Secret Coldest Spot in Minnesota. 😉

  5. Haven’t had stuffed peppers in years. You’ve inspired me! Now, if I can only find a couple of peppers that look as good as yours, I’ll be doing well.

  8. Randa — how does one get one zucchini? The last time I grew the stuff I couldn’t find enough people to give it to!

    I stuff my peppers with a rice and sausage one pot mixture that calls for green pepper, since it isn’t intended for stuffing. When I know I’m going to use it that way, I use orange or yellow pepper in the dish itself. It also uses Worchester sauce, celery, and scallions. Yum. I must go find a bell pepper and do this soon.

  10. Susan: You have heat – all this stuff should grow nicely for you!

    Deb: Yea – green peppers are cheap enough – probably not worth the space in the garden next year. Once I grew them in pots and they did pretty well – maybe I should try that again.

    Susan: Do you really try to grow corn? You must have a lot of room.

    Dave: Let me know if you like it.
    😉

    Laura: Do try them. With mashed potatoes!

    Sandy: Try it – think it may have come from a BH+G cookbook.

    Randa: We planted squash and melons and didn’t get either. We got a few huge zucchini that I gave to a friend from work.

    Maya’s granny: That sounds delicious!

    Fiona: the bunnies prefer the expensive red bell peppers, of course!

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