I associate stuffed peppers with my part of the world: Egypt, Lebanon, etc…
But, today, I learned they are also part of Latin American culture & are prepared in Mexico & Colombia. Who knew?
Growing up, I also associated it with grandmothers — my own & those of others. And, peppers weren’t the only vegetables that they stuffed either; you could carve out an eggplant 🍆 tomato 🍅 or zucchini & stuff that, too.
My favorite & most labor-intensive of this stuffed variety was cabbage 🥬 I drool, now, just thinking of those savory, tightly-wrapped, translucent goodies … and am transported to my childhood.
I did not imagine that one day, at the tender age of 48 years young & upon the request of my Latina wife, I’d one day prepare this dish, living in the USA.
Yet, this afternoon, that’s what I did, and shared it with a guest, who was glad to be our guinea pig. Proud to report that we all agreed it was delicious 👨🏻🍳 😋
First step, is to assemble your ingredients.
I mixed some meat sauce, left over from a pasta dish with rice and added pomegranate seeds — yup, you heard that right! It’s a trick I picked up when I was visiting Syria & was served for the first and only time grape leaves (aka dolma) stuffed with rice, minced meat and crushed pomegranates.
Those Levantines know how to live!
As you can see, I’ve chopped the top off two large peppers and carved out seeds, etc..
Meantime, oven is preheating at 375 degrees.
Next, I stuff those babies with the yummy filling, add grated cheese on top, and put their hats back on, while drizzling olive oil, liberally.
Now, I cover up the stuffed goodies with tin foil and pop ‘em in the oven for around 20 minutes (5 minutes less, if your peppers are smaller).
Time for the grand unveiling… Drum roll, please🥁
Remove tin foil and leave peppers in for another 15 minutes or so (maybe, turn up heat to 400) until the cheese melts and your peppers get some color.
And, voila, a healthy, tasty, exotic dish you can share with a friend 😊
Have a lovely weekend and I hope you’re enjoying @Hivefest!
