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.
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste, and saute over high heat until they start to soften. Add the tomatoes, rice, water and bouillon cube to the vegetables in the frying pan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Fold in the bacon, basil and mozzarella cheese.
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.
Pre-cook Peppers. 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. ...
Use Leftover Rice. Does this tip sound familiar to you? ...
To easily stuff bell peppers and keep them upright during baking, arrange and then bake them in a Bundt, tube, angel food, or muffin pan (spray with nonstick spray first). The peppers stay upright, freeing your hands for assembly.
Tinkerbell® is the name of the mini-block pepper. The Tinkerbell® is of its small block shape resembled a standard bell pepper, but smaller. This mini-block pepper was developed and bred by Eminent Seeds and is therefore a unique bell pepper in the Capsicum family.
Bake your peppers at 350°F (177°C). This temperature is hot enough to brown the tops of the peppers and the meat without being so hot that it overcooks them.
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.
I prefer red, orange, or yellow peppers; green peppers are unripe and have an unpleasant, somewhat bitter taste. (If left to fully ripen, green peppers will eventually turn another color, and the flavor will become increasingly sweet.)
The peppers need to be par-cooked before filling so that they cook through. Many recipes call for boiling the peppers first, but I prefer to roast them – more flavor and less cleanup!
Pre-cooking is the idea of quick-starting the cooking process of your stuffed pepper. Since stuffed peppers can take as long as 45 minutes to bake, shortening that down with a quick boil really helps me out.
To boil bell peppers: Cook peppers, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. To sauté bell peppers: Heat a skillet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add bell peppers and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.
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.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
