I was seduced by cookbook last week. For the most part, I have a good deal of self-control when it comes to glossy, recipe-laden volumes – I have so many food magazine subscriptions that give me more monthly inspiration than I can digest. But this one really spoke to me. It’s called Modern Flavors of Arabia, and it’s chock full of beautifully photographed, vibrant dishes boasting an abundance spices, fresh herbs and colourful produce.
This was the first recipe I tried – ground lamb scented with cinnamon and allspice, combined with rice and herbs, stuffed into whole peppers. The stuffed peppers are bathed in a spiced tomato sauce and baked. The concept is beautiful, and the final results – quite lip-smacking. But her recipe had some major flaws. First of all, she called for 6 peppers to be loosely stuffed two-thirds full, and the specimens in her accompanying photo were not very big. I stuffed my 6 large peppers… and then 4 tomatoes.
But more glaringly off-base, she calls for uncooked rice, and for the peppers to be covered with foil and baked for 45 minutes. Forty-five minutes in, my rice was still ROCK HARD. No give whatsoever. I don’t think that there’s enough moisture inside the peppers, even steaming under foil, to cook rice through period, let alone in three-quarters of an hour. I should have known better.
I remedied the situation by spooning lots of the tomato sauce into each pepper and baking an additional hour. But come on – when a recipe is wrong on cooking time by more than 100%, that’s an issue…
I would absolutely make these again, the flavours are wonderful, but only with some major amendments – the foremost of which being cooking the rice first! And reducing the amount to 4 cups cooked. I also reduced the quantity of allspice and cinnamon – the original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of each. That’s too much allspice for me, it has a very pungent, almost bitter taste in that amount. And I like the cinnamon to be an exotic whiff, not a punch in the tastebuds.
The amount of ground lamb in my version is bumped up to 1 lb/500 grams, because that is the quantity that is most easily purchased (I buy mine frozen in that amount). With this formula and method, you will be able to successfully stuff about 8 bell peppers scrumptuously and serve them in one hour.
I get the impression that the author is a very intuitive cook – she admits to not really measuring in her own kitchen, and uses “handfuls” and “half-handfuls” to quantify herbs in her recipes. I suspect that the less finicky recipes (like Lamb Kofta with Sweet & Sour Cherry sauce – YUM!) will be more wonderful, and that I will really enjoy her sensual style of cooking.
I’ll keep you posted on other recipes in the cookbook… regardless, it is a beautiful source of inspiration! I’m sure I will refer to it lots, even if only for the gorgeous photos and mouthwatering flavours.
8medium bell peppersmixture of red, yellow and green
4cupscooked short grain ricecooled (from 1 1/3 cup uncooked)
2tbspolive oil
1tspground cinnamon
¼tspground allspice
4clovesgarlicminced
¼cupminced fresh mintpacked
1tspsalt
¼tspfreshly ground black pepper
1lb500 g ground lamb
2tbspolive oil
6clovesgarlicminced
4 ½cupsdiced tomatoesfrom 1 1/2-28 oz/796 mL cans
¼cuptomato paste
½tspcinnamonor to taste
⅛tspallspiceor to taste
Salt and pepperto taste
2tbspminced fresh mintpacked
1tbspminced fresh parsleypacked
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the tops of each pepper leaving the stems intact. Use a paring knife to cut away the seeds and ribs inside each pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, olive oil, cinnamon, allspice, garlic, mint, salt, pepper and lamb. Stuff into pepper cavities and top with pepper "lids". Arrange peppers in a large baking dish.
To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and saute until softened, about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding up to a total of 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp allspice if you like more intense spice. Pour around peppers, then cover dish with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour, or until lamb is cooked through and peppers are soft.
Last Updated on October 30, 2012 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD
I definitely suggest par-cooking the bell peppers first, just a little bit before stuffing them. Not only does this help to soften the bell peppers, but it also cuts down on your cook time. As the bell peppers are cooking you can make the filling, shaving off about 20 minutes from your total cook time.
The thing about most stuffed bell pepper recipes is 3that they call for salt in the filling, not for the peppers themselves. Without salt, the peppers are flabby and bland, merely a filling case. With a sprinkle of salt, they transform into a sweet and powerfully savory part of the dish.
It's possible to stuff peppers with a raw filling. If you're stuffing a whole pepper, it takes awhile to cook because the filling needs to reach a safe temperature. Out of all the stuffed peppers, this one takes the longest to cook because of its size.
It's simple to make – just combine the stuffing mix with boiling water, mix well and leave to stand for five minutes. Then the mix is ready to either place into an ovenproof dish or shape into stuffing balls and bake in the oven.
Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.
When you bake peppers that are not pre-blanched or cooked, it is normal that they release their natural water – which can be easily avoided by pre-cooking beforehand. Cut your peppers as desired and remove the seeds, then put them in a large pot.
Sour cream, yogurt, ghee, butter and milk can all neutralize the pepper flavor, depending on the dish. Mix in a small amount of a dairy and see if you taste a difference. Cream or milk helps balance out broth-heavy dishes, as well as a variety of other recipes.
The goal is to tenderize them before they're stuffed and baked, but generally the poor fellas are over-boiled, which results in their tendency to fall apart and, as noted, be flavorless. But peppers can have tons of flavor when given the right treatment. The trick is to roast them at high heat.
The Skin Has Turned the Color of the Mature Pepper
Mature peppers might be bright orange, yellow, red, brown, or purple. When you see a fruit turn the right color, you know you're good to pick. A ripe bell pepper, for example, will turn yellow, orange, or red. A ripe habanero pepper will become orange or red.
You've seen bell peppers -- green, orange, yellow, and red -- in the grocery store or in a salad bar. Red peppers pack the most nutrition, because they've been on the vine longest.
Milk and dairy products contain a protein called casein that is able to bind with capsaicin before it reaches our tongue, so it can reach fewer receptors, and lessens the sensation of spice. If your dish is too spicy, try adding heavy cream, yogurt, sour cream or butter to help mellow it out.
Dig in with a fork or spoon, or carefully cut the whole thing into pieces—there's no wrong way to eat a stuffed pepper. And there's something so satisfying about tearing into that edible package. These bell peppers are packed full of cheese, rice, lots of smoky spices, and veggies.
There is also micro modeling showing that Salmonella and e. coli will be destroyed with a pH of 4.6 and water activity of 0.997 when the sauce is heated to boiling. Therefore, boiling would destroy vegetative cells of Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella and Listeria.
Boiling bell peppers is a simple cooking method that involves immersing the peppers in boiling water until they become tender. This process helps enhance the flavors and textures of the peppers, making them versatile for various dishes.
Usually 15-30 minutes is enough time to make them pliable, much longer and the flavor begins to weaken. The soaking liquid may have a bitter taste, so it is best to discard soaking liquid, and use a broth or even water to finish the dish.
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