Cooking with Blobby

It is quite possible neither 710 nor myself have ever had stuffed peppers. 

I certainly don't remember my mother preparing this dish. 710 doesn't think his did either. It must have come up on America's Test Kitchen or something. I'm not quite sure why else it would have hit our radar. 

But I'm up for a challenge and am always looking for something new to have for dinner. Again, 87% of that battle is coming up with the idea for dinner. Making it is the easy part. 

Well.....easier. 

In theory this shouldn't be too bad. But on the other hand it is a little labour intensive. A pot for rice. A pot to blanch the peppers. A pan to cook the meat and veg. And a baking dish to put it all into the oven once assembled. 

While technically it isn't my "job" to clean, 98% of the time I clean as I go, leaving 710 very little to actually do. Mind you, it's usually the pot / pan / dish, but it is usually only one. And honestly, I can do all of those save the baking dish while it cooks. 

I'm a good husband. 

The ingredients seemed good. I just wasn't sure if this would sate our appetite. So I did two peppers each, just in case. And it seemed easier to do that than mathematically cut the recipe in half. I'm the "Shane" of this relationship.    (you're welcome Morty.)

Anyway - let's do this. 

Ingredients 

4-6 bell peppers use any color – green, yellow, red, orange 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 lb ground beef 450g - you can also use ground turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, tofu, or other similar 

1 medium onion chopped 

1 jalapeño pepper chopped (optional, for spicy) 

5 cloves garlic chopped 

14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (canned - or use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce) 

1 cup shredded cheese cheddar, mozzarella, or a blend

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 teaspoon dried basil 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 cup cooked rice white, brown, or wild rice 

For Garnish. Fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes 

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and bring a pot of water (enough to cover the bell peppers) to a boil. 

Wash the bell peppers, cut off the tops, and scoop out the insides. If needed, slice a small part off the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright. (NOTE: Chop the extra bell pepper tops to cook later with the onion - discard the stem.) 

Blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes to slightly soften. (Alternative, you can roast the peppers for 20 minutes to soften). 

Set the softened peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish. 

Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the onions, chopped pepper tops, and jalapeño  (if using). Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add the ground beef and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking apart as you go, until cooked through. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, seasonings, and cooked rice. Stir together and remove from heat. 

Stir in half of the shredded cheese until incorporated. 

Stuff each pepper with the meat filling mixture, then top each with the remaining shredded cheese. 

Roast the stuffed peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender to your preference, and the cheese is nice and bubbly. 

Cool slightly, garnish, and serve.

The verdict?  Meh. 

710 liked it way better than myself. I mean, it looks pretty. It smelled great. The texture was a-ok. It just lacked......flavour.  And you kind of want that out of dinner!

Granted, yes, I forgot the paprika and oregano. I didn't add red pepper flakes because I used an entire jalapeño -  seeds, rib and all - and thought that'd be enough heat. (It wasn't.). 

I also salted the mixture, but it needed more upon eating, which you know I don't often do. 

Still, I thought fire roasted tomatoes and tomato paste would bring something more to the dish. It was fine and all, but for me nothing more than that. 

Somehow in my pea brain, if I have to use salt after the fact, I fucked up the dish somehow. Maybe that's valid, perhaps not. I'd like to think the dish stands on its own, and this one didn't.  Perhaps the oregano and paprika would have helped. Or maybe I'm missing an element of which I'm not yet thinking. 

It was a nice try, but I don't know how often I'll be coming back to this.  If ever.