Stuffed Heirloom Peppers Rice Pilaf with Pastured Beef and Aromatics Ingredients: Peppers Garlic Egg Cheese
Ground Beef Parsley Rice Stock Shallot (only use 1/2 for this recipe; save the remaining 1/2 for the fish recipe)
(For best results, read recipe fully before beginning.) 1) Prepare the ingredients: - Wash and dry the fresh produce. - Grate the cheese. - Peel and discard the skin from the garlic. Mince garlic. - Pick parsley leaves off of stems and roughly chop. - Slice the shallot in half lengthwise, remove and discard the papery skin, and thinly slice the half your are using for this recipe. - With a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top (near the stem) off the pepper, leaving intact as much of the pepper as possible. (The goal is to create an opening large enough to remove the seeds and to add the stuffing, but small enough that you can cook the pepper without losing much of the filling.) With your fingers, pull out and discard as many of the seeds as you can (it’s ok if you don’t get them all). 2) Stuff the peppers: - Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small pan over medium heat until hot. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic and softened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a small mixing bowl. - To the cooked (slightly cooled) garlic, add the grated cheese and 1/2 the chopped parsley and stir to combine. Crack in the egg, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. - Spoon the stuffing into the peppers. Get as much as you can in, but they don’t have to be packed; we’re really just seasoning the peppers from the inside; a little stuffing goes a long way. - Refrigerate stuffed peppers until ready to cook. This will help firm up the filling for cooking. 3) Cook the pilaf: - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small pot on medium-high until hot. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned in spots but not fully cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. - Add sliced shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatic and softened slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add a pinch of the chile flake and the rice. Stir until the rice is coated with oil. Add the stock and 1 cup of warm water, season with salt and pepper, and bring to the simmer. - Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook until stock is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. - Remove pot from heat and fluff rice with a fork. Put a clean kitchen towel over the pot (optional - will help keep rice fluffy) and then cover with a lid. Set aside while you saute the stuffed peppers. 4) Saute the stuffed peppers: - Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saute pan on medium-high until hot. Carefully add stuffed peppers and cook, undisturbed, until browned on one side. Gently flip peppers and cook until softened and
filling is just melted, about 4 minutes of total cooking time. (If you continue to cook peppers for long after the cheese has melted, it will separate and become greasy.) 5) Finish your dish: - Stir remaining chopped parsley into the rice, then divide between 2 dishes. Top with sautÊed stued peppers. Enjoy!