Stuffed Bell Peppers

Like every family, mine has certain dishes that are a staple. It’s those dishes that identify us as a family. Many have been handed down generations, some are fairly new. My mother like to experiment with new things, but she also liked to serve those classics that work with everyone. Such a dish are Stuff Bell Peppers.

I have to insert a little cultural lesson here so we are on the same page. In many German households and families lunch is a warm meal and supper is a cold meal. During the week the kids will have their lunch at school or if living close by, at home. Adults will have a canteen or cafeteria close by or some sort of little kitchen at their work place. University students have a cafeteria where they are many lunch options. Supper then is cold, with dark breads or buns/rolls, cold cut meats, cheese, of course butter, maybe a salad.

There is also a time difference, at least for supper, because my family usually didn’t eat supper until 7 p.m. It probably had much to do with my parents not getting home until 5 or 6.

I find it a bit tricky to come home and then have supper right away, cooking does take some time and it feels much like a rush to me. That’s why I prefer cold supper, also warm suppers tend to be a bit hefty.

So, these stuffed peppers are meant as lunch, but of course work for supper as well. 😉

Ingredients:

– 8 to 10 bell peppers
– 1 lb. ground pork
– 1 lb. ground beef
– 1 egg
– 1 medium sized onion, diced
– salt
– pepper
– paprika
– ketchup
– mustard

First, prepare the bell peppers. I usually use green ones, but if you prefer red, yellow or orange, by all means. Cut off the top, clean out the center and the stem from the top and wash all. Set aside.

Combine ground pork and ground beef, add the egg, diced onions, salt, pepper, and paprika. I like to use ketchup and mustard for flavouring, but that is up to you. Combine everything well. Then stuff the bell peppers with the meat and press the top back on. Secure with some toothpicks to they will not fall off. Make patties of the left over meat, if you have any.

Use a large and deep frying pan with a lid to cook the bell peppers. I used my Nordic Ware Braising Pan for this. A separate blog post for Nordic Ware will follow. Add a bit of olive oil to the pan and let it heat. Then lay the bell peppers on their side and cook them until lightly brow. Flip them to the next side and so on until all sides are slightly cooked and a bit brown.

You might need to add a bit of water, depending on how much moister you have in the pan. Close the lid and let the peppers cooked for 30 min or until done. You might have to cut one open to check.

Remove the peppers from the pan, then thicken the liquid with tomato paste. I also used Knorr for sauces, which is a thickener. Basically, you are looking for a tomato sauce/gravy. That goes best with stuffed bell peppers.

You may serve potatoes or rice with the bell peppers.

Happy Cooking!