I am forever researching and testing recipes so I can then teach my students about different dishes around the world. When I think of stuffed peppers, as a Mexican, they will always be chiles rellenos, those meat or cheese stuffed poblanos. Other than these, in Mexico we also make stuffed Jalapeños. But stuffed bell peppers are not something you see often in my country.
In the Caribbean and Latin America, though, that’s a different matter. In Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Perú and others, stuffing peppers is a common practice. This probably is a Spanish legacy that came after the conquest, as in Spain they are common, as they are all over the Mediterranean and Turkey, Greece and the Balkans - no doubt, stemming from the Ottoman Empire.
Regardless, stuffed peppers are delicious and colourful, and I must way, much easier to prepare that the Mexican style of chiles rellenos, as the only prep you need to make for the peppers, is cut the tops off and seed them. Poblanos, on the other hand, need to be roasted and peeled before stuffing, which adds quite a bit of time to the prep.
For this style of stuffed peppers, we need a filling: our meat filling must be pre-cooked, and then some sort of sauce that will allow them to braise as they bake, ensuring they come out perfectly tender when they’re done.
In this recipe, we make a sofrito that is part of the filling, as well as the braising sauce. This flavourful sauté of onion, bell peppers, garlic and tomato paste along with some spices gives the meat a delicious taste, and then, when combined with a bit of broth, it provides the bed the peppers need to braise as they bake, becoming the perfect sauce when you serve them.
This recipe serves 6, giving you a few leftovers for weekly lunches. Serve with rice and fried plantains for a truly Caribbean feast.
PIMIENTOS RELLENOS
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Sofrito:
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chopped bell pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup tomato paste
6 Tbsp water, chicken broth or dry white wine
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Filling:
500g lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped manzanilla olives
1/4 cup raisins
6 medium bell peppers
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
Sofrito: Heat oil in skillet on medium heat and sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper until translucent. Add oregano and cumin, and then add the tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes, and add the broth and vinegar, and cook for another 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reserve 2/3 cup of the sofrito. Add the beef, olives and raisins to skillet. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Cut tops off peppers and take out all the seeds. Divide filling amongst peppers and top with breadcrumbs. Mix remaining sofrito with the water or broth, and place in an ovenproof dish that fits the peppers snugly. Add the peppers, cover, and bake at 400°F oven for about 30 minutes, until peppers have softened. Serve with sauce over peppers.
Serves 6.