chock

We've been gifted several bell peppers recently. As we contemplated how to use them all, Chip kept mentioning he wanted to make stuffed peppers. I kept mentioning that I'm not a fan. But he was determined and a couple of Sunday nights ago, pulled out the Russian cookbook and went ahead and made them. I decided I had better at least attempt one because on the off chance we're in somebody's home while in Russia and that's what they serve...

This is what happened next:

Event though the response is mixed, I thought I'd share the recipe anyway. It's from Please to the Table by Anya von Bremzen. This was not made this to its fullest, which includes a lot of veggies. I'm going to record what Chip actually made, which, by the way, serves a lot fewer people (the original serves 6 to 8).

Stuffing
½ lb ground pork
¾ lb ground beef
½ c long grain rice
4 canned whole tomatoes, finely chopped
1 c onion, finely chopped
⅓ c ice water
1 t sweet paprika
1 c mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g. thyme, basil, cilantro, dill, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste

Veggies and Sauce
4 large bell peppers (or however many you need to use up the stuffing)
salt to taste
2 beef marrow bones (about 1 lb)
½ c canned whole tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small tart apple, diced
Juice of ½ lemon
Chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large bowl, combine all the stuffing ingredients. Knead until the mixture is thoroughly blended.
2. Core, seed and derib the peppers.
3. Stuff the vegetables compactly with the stuffing, up to about ¼ inch from the tops, as the stuffing will expand during the cooking.
4. Arrange the peppers and marrow bones (which will make the broth flavorful) in the bottom of a 4 quart stock pot. Add the chopped tomatoes, apple and lemon juice. Place a plate over the peppers and weight it down with a small bowl. Add enough water to cover the peppers and bring to a quick boil. Remove plate and bowl, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until cooked through, about 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Allow the peppers to cool just slightly in the broth, then removed carefully with a slotted spoon and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon broth over the peppers and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

My notes: yes, these are all done on the stovetop! That nifty piece of pottery in the photo was not used when Chip realized this version isn't baked. If you'd like, a yogurt and garlic sauce may be served on the side (we didn't--had garlic bread instead). Also, use sweet bell peppers--they'll cook down (and taste) the best. The longer peppers you see in the photo were okay, but remained a little crunchy.

No adoption news to report, sorry.

Book recommendation: In on it by Elisabeth O'Toole
Recipe recommendation: Echmiadzin Dolma
Wine recommendation: Starling Castle Gewürztraminer