Stuffed Red Peppers!
This recipes was a mosaic of a few different things I found on the internet. Aden has been considering eating meat again because he’s getting bored with the same ‘ol same ‘ol, so, I decided to try something completely new. He hates tofu but has never tried tempeh and I figured before he found out they’re both derived from fermenting soy beans I could sway his opinion in favor of this healthy, protein-rich staple of vegetarian living.
I got the idea to make these when my sister, Alaina Restivo, told me she had made some peppers stuffed with rice and sausage for her beau Mike Goldberg. It turned out to be pretty easy to make tempeh taste like something spicy/meaty. This is another one which took a few hours to make, but the results were well worth it. Aden told me when he was done that it was the best meal I had prepared for him EVER!
The basic strategy behind this is to cook risotto, tomato sauce and tempeh, combine all three and use it to fill 6 Bell peppers, then, bake the peppers for about an hour. I used all red peppers because I prefer them to green, but if you’d like to mix and match I’m sure it’ll look pretty and taste great. The risotto will take the longest to prepare so, depending on how many pans/burners you have an how good you are at multitasking this could take between 2 and 3 hours to make. One pepper per person will be enough as a main dish, they’re VERY filling (aside from saying it was the best meal ever, Aden also claimed to feel pregnant!)
The Risotto:
1 T Olive Oil
1 Onion, roasted
A couple cloves of Garlic
2 Carrots (peeled and chopped)
2 T Butter
3/4 C. Arborio Rice
1/2 C. White Wine + 1/4 C. White Wine
3-4 C. Vegetable Stock
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Tsp. Fennel Seeds &
1/4 Tsp. Caraway Seeds ground in Mortar and Pestle
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Steps:
In a food processor mix together garlic, carrots, the onion and 1/4 C. White Wine.
Heat up some olive oil in a pan and scoop the pulpy mixture into a very large frying pan. Mix in the fennel and caraway seed and let it cook on high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you can see the vegetables beginning to caramelize. Watch carefully to prevent them from being burned.
Add the butter to the vegetables and let it melt. Then add your rice, stir it in well, and let it cook on medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 C. White Wine and 1/4 Tsp Vanilla, cook for an additional minute.
Now begin adding your vegetable stock one cup at a time, stirring constantly. This can be a lengthy process, as you’ll need to be stirring at least once minute for up to 30 minutes. Wait for the rice to absorb the entire cup of stock before adding the subsequent cup. Keep doing this until the rice is very soft and creamy.
When the rice is cooked well enough turn off the heat and mix in your oregano, salt and Parmesan cheese.
The Tomato Sauce:
My tomato sauce is simple. It follows my mother’s recipe and, like every good Italian son, I know that hers is the best tomato sauce ever. I can’t order sauce (or gravy, as it was called my whole life) when I’m out at a restaurant because I’m certain I’ll be disappointed. I hate the canned stuff (which includes jarred stuff) and can instantly tell when it’s been used. It’s so simple to make your own sauce that it’s really not necessary to waste calories and taste buds on the junk in a jar. A good sauce will be cooked slowly all day and some day I’ll detail my technique, but for the stuffed peppers this worked out marvelously.
1 28 Oz. Can of Whole Tomatoes (peeled crushed with basil leaf is best, San Marzano is even better)
1 1/2 T. Olive Oil
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion, chopped
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Pinch of Black Pepper
Steps:
In a large frying pan saute your garlic and onions until they just start beginning to brown.
Once they’re browning add your tomatoes. Watch for splatter!
Using a potato masher break up the whole tomatoes into chunky bits.
Add the salt, red pepper flakes and pepper. Cook partially covered on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, tasting frequently to make sure it’s right on and stirring occasionally. The longer you can cook it on lower heat the better, but if you’re pressed for heat up the heat. The idea is to cook off some of the water and get a more concentrated sauce. My father likes his sauce more watery than I do, probably because that’s the way his mother makes it.
The Tempeh:
12 Oz. Tempeh, cubed
1/2 Tsp. Vinegar
Just shy of 1/2 C. Vegetable Broth
1 1/2 T Tomato Paste
1 1/2 T Soy Sauce
1 Garlic Clove
3/4 T. Fennel Seed
1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tsp Oregano
1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
2 T Olive Oil
Steps:
Mix together all of your ingredients except the tempeh and Olive oil in a bowl. Add the cubed tempeh and coat it thoroughly. Let it sit for 15 minutes (the longer the better, really) so it can absorb some of the flavor.
Throw your tempeh in a frying pan and cook it on medium heat until all the liquid is gone, about 8 minutes. When done, remove from frying pan.
Using the same pan add the Olive Oil and heat it until the tempeh will bubble once put in. Add the tempeh and cook it for 5 minutes or until it’s brown all around, stirring it to cook each side thoroughly. That’s all for the tempeh!
Finally! The Peppers!
Preheat over to 350 Degrees and get out a 9X13 Casserole pan.
6 Bell Peppers
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
Spray oil (or Olive Oil)
Everything you’ve made above.
Steps:
Cut the tops off of the peppers to remove the stem and seeds (I do this by cutting from the top into the pepper, as opposed to just lopping a slice off the top).
Coat the peppers inside and out with oil. I used spray oil just to make this move faster.
Combine 3/4 of the sauce you’ve made, the tempeh and the risotto, mixing just to evenly distribute all the ingredients, not too intensely.
Fill the peppers with the mixture being sure to stuff as much into the pepper as you can, filling it all the way to the bottom. The peppers will be slippery, put them in the pan and try to keep them upright. Once they’re all filled if you can’t keep a few upright fill the pan with some loosely crumbled aluminum foil to prop them up.
Distribute the remaining tomato sauce over the top of the peppers and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Now! Finally! Bake them at 350 Degrees for an hour.
They’ll begin to blacken a bit on the edges when they’re done. They’re delicious so, enjoy!