rethinking stuffed peppers

This post originally appeared on my fatherhood blog Real Men Drive Minivans on September 29, 2009.

One of the things I enjoy about cooking, and talking about the things I make, is how one dish can be reinterpreted to better reflect someones tastes or to adapt to the ingredients on hand. A good friend of mine and I really enjoy experimenting in the kitchen have been sharing our culinary exploits long before I started writing this blog.

The weekend before last he shared the story of a dish he had created when he went to make some stuffed peppers for dinner. When the peppers he had were misshapen and not likely to work, he decided to get a little creative by layering them in a casserole pan by cutting the sides of the peppers off into panels.

As I thought about his dish I realized that it would be something that my wife would really enjoy. We talked about the different directions in which this dish could be taken and our conversation sparked some creativity of my own.

We discussed putting an Italian spin on it by turning it into a play on lasagna with the green bell peppers being substituted for noodles. I considered making a pesto sauce to act as a binder for the filling mixture, but to keep it true to its inspiration I went with a ricotta cheese mixture.

The finished product came out quite good and it is something that I will definitely continue to tinker with over time. Personally, I don’t think this is substantial enough to be a meal all on its own, but it would make for a nice side dish or even go over well as an appetizer.

Bell pepper lasagna

Hardware

Saute pan
Medium sauce pan
13 X 9 oven safe dish
Large mixing bowl
Tongs, spatula and spoons
Measuring cups

Software

5 green bell peppers, cut into panels
2 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob
1 medium leek, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup orzo pasta (before cooking)
3 links of Italian style turkey sausage, uncased
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan reggiano
1 teaspoon dry basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Assemblage

• Preheat the over to 350 degrees
• Bring water in the sauce pan to boil and cook the orzo according to the directions, when finished drain and allow to cool (drizzle a little olive oil and mix to prevent sticking)
• Sweat the onions, then add the leeks, corn and garlic, then saute for five or six minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool
• Break up the turkey sausage and brown in the saute pan until mostly cooked, then remove and allow to cool
• Mix the egg, ricotta, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl, set aside
• Combine the vegetables and sausage when completely cooled, then add the ricotta
• Use the bell peppers like lasagna sheets and spread them out in the 13 X 9 dish
• Add the vegetable, sausage and cheese mixture, then add the top layer of bell peppers
• Top with the shredded mozzarella, then cover with aluminum foil and put it the oven for 30 minutes
• Remove the foil, turn the oven to broil and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese forms a nicely browned crust

After giving it ten or twelve minutes to cool off, just divide it up like you would a lasagne and pile it up on a plate.

Variations on a Theme

You can take the filling mixture in any direction you want to go. I kept it simple with just the corn, leeks and onion because I thought it complimented the sausage well and it is what I had available.

If you wanted to eliminate the sausage and go strictly veggie, then you’re options are pretty much limitless. Also, if you aren’t crazy about ricotta cheese, then you could go with my initial idea, which was to use a pesto sauce to bind it all together.

You can view the Whrrl story I created for this recipe right here.