Stuffed Peppers Raisins Pinenuts Food

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts in single layer on a small baking sheet. Bake until golden and aromatic, 8 to 12 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure nuts toast evenly.
• Line a baking pan that's just large enough to hold the peppers with the tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine raisins and orange juice in a small bowl. Let stand until raisins are plumped, about 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, cut around the stems of six of the peppers. Core and seed the peppers, reserving the stems. Set aside.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rice, and simmer, covered, until rice is just a little undercooked, about 15 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and shallots, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the finely chopped pepper and the plumped raisins. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme leaves, basil, chervil, and pine nuts, stirring to combine. Stir in the cooked rice.
• Fill each pepper with one sixth of the rice mixture. Place reserved pepper stems on top of each pepper. Top the tomatoes with the reserved thyme stems. Fit the peppers into the baking dish, and place the chervil sprigs between them. Cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil, and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake until peppers are tender and rice is heated through, about 10 minutes.

THE BEST STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• If your peppers don't sit upright on your cutting board, trim about 1/8-inch off the bottoms to even them out so they can stand without falling over. Cut the top off each pepper about 1/2-inch down. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the remaining flesh from the tops. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membranes as you can. Place the peppers in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/2 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power for 12 minutes. Carefully uncover and let them sit until ready to assemble.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the beef in an even layer and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pan until the meat is lightly browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the reserved chopped peppers, onions, garlic, thyme, 4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until falling apart and much of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until brick red colored, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is reduced, very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the bowl with the beef. Stir in the rice until completely combined. (The mixture will be wet.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Place the peppers cut-side up in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spoon the filling into the peppers, gently pressing it in with the back of a spoon. Be careful not to overstuff and split the sides of the peppers. Bake for 15 minutes. Then top with the cheese and continue baking until the filling is heated through and the cheese is browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.

SICILIAN PEPPERS, RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Chop whole onions. Saute onions in hot oil in a nonstick pan until soft.
• Meanwhile, slice whole peppers in a food processor, and add to the onions, cooking over medium heat until they begin to soften.
• Stir in raisins, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and continue to cook until peppers are softened.

STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Wrap the peppers in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven until tender, but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the grapeseed oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add in the zucchini, yellow squash, wild rice, tomatoes, red and green peppers and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tomato paste. Remove from the heat and fold in the fresh arugula or spinach and the fresh herbs. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the cooled peppers. Transfer the peppers to a heat-proof serving dish and top with a little Parmesan. Bake until the peppers are heated through, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and serve.

BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH RICE, RAISINS, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• For the filling, fry the onion in 3 tablespoons oil until soft. Add the rice and stir until thoroughly coated and translucent. Pour in 2 cups water and add salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed but the rice is still a little underdone. Stir in the pine nuts, currants or raisins, tomato, cinnamon, allspice, mint, dill, parsley, and lemon juice, as well as the rest of the oil.
• Retaining the stalk, cut a circle around the stalk end of the peppers and set to one side to use as caps. Remove the cores and seeds with a spoon and discard. Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, and replace the caps.
• Arrange the peppers side by side in a shallow baking dish, pour about water into the bottom, and bake in the oven preheated to 375°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Be careful that they do not fall apart.
• Serve cold, accompanied, if you like, by a bowl of yogurt beaten with or without crushed garlic.

STUFFED RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the couscous and raisins in a bowl with a pinch of seasoning and just cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 mins.
• Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir through the parsley, pine nuts, half the feta, the cinnamon and 2 tbsp of the oil. Mix and season to taste.
• Generously stuff the peppers with the couscous mix (any leftover stuffing can be served next to the peppers), then lay them in a small roasting tin and scatter over the remaining feta. Drizzle with the remaining oil and bake in the oven for 15 mins until hot and the feta has turned golden.

STUFFED RED BELL PEPPERS WITH RICE, PINE NUTS AND CURRANTS

Steps:

• Heat 3 T olive oil in a saute pan, add onions and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add rice and pine nuts and stir 5 minutes over low heat. Add currants, tomatoes, mint, allspice, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes.
• Add 1 1/4 cups broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Taste and adjust seasoning; rice will be only partially cooked.
• Preheat oven to 175°C Cut a slice off stem end of peppers, leaving stem on. Reserve slice; remove core and seeds from inside pepper.
• Spoon stuffing into peppers and cover with reserved slices.
• Stand them in a baking dish in which they just fit.
• Add 1 1/2 cups broth or hot water to dish.
• Sprinkle peppers with 2T oil.
• Cover and bake for 1 hour or until peppers are tender, basting occasionally and adding a little more water if needed.