|
One Straw Farm’s Stuffed Bell Peppers
This is one of Joan’s favorite dishes for cooking her sweet summer bell peppers. She especially likes the texture and flavor the bulgur brings to the braised peppers. Notice that she slices the peppers length-wise. Joan feels that a whole large bell pepper is too daunting—plus you can fit a whole lot more stuffing in this way, which is never a bad thing.
3 large bell peppers of any color 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ pound ground beef (optional) 1 small onion, finely diced 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped 2 small or 1 large zucchini, diced small 3 tomatoes, cored, lightly seeded and chopped ¼ cup chopped basil Salt and pepper 3 cups prepared bulgur 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bell peppers in half length-wise. Remove seeds and ribs of the peppers. Place the peppers, hollow side up, into a lightly greased baking dish.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the ground beef (if you’re using it) and constantly stir until browned. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off excess fat and juice, leaving just a little fat in the pan. Reheat pan, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add the zucchini and sauté for about 3 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and basil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to slightly cool.
When the stuffing has cooled slightly, fold in the bulgur and about 4 ounces of the feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the peppers generously with the mixture and top with the remaining feta cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 additional minutes, or until nicely browned. Serves 6. |
