Jewish cuisine features countless ways to stuff peppers — many with meat mixtures, as in this recipe. Stuffed peppers are simple to make, and adding tomatoes and tomato sauce to the stuffing keeps it exceptionally moist and luscious.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Keeping kosher: Meat
4 large red or green bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil, plus a little extra for oiling dish
2 medium onions
3 garlic cloves
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
2/3 cup bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the cores, seeds, and ribs from the peppers.
Halve 3 peppers lengthwise and dice the remaining pepper.
Cook the pepper halves in a large saucepan of boiling water 3 minutes.
Drain well.
Lightly oil a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the peppers in a single layer.
Set the peppers, cut side up, in the dish.
Chop the onions.
Heat the oil in a large skillet.
Add onions and diced pepper.
Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the onions begins to turn golden.
Mince the garlic cloves.
Add beef, garlic, cumin, and paprika to the skillet.
Sauté, stirring to crumble meat, for 5 minutes, or until beef changes color.
Dice the tomatoes.
Add tomatoes, stock, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, salt, and pepper.
Bring to boil and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Chop the fresh dill.
If you’re using dried dill, you don’t need to chop it.
Stir in 1 tablespoon dill and breadcrumbs.
Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary.
Spoon stuffing into pepper halves, mounding it high.
Mix the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce with 1/2 cup water.
Pour the sauce mixture into the baking dish around the peppers.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until peppers are very tender.
Serve the peppers hot or warm, with sauce spooned over them.