Meat-Stuffed Peppers

Name: Meat-Stuffed Peppers
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/3 cup Arborio rice; Salt; 8 cubanella or banana peppers or other long, thin-fleshed peppers, each about 6 inches long; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup); 8 ounces ground meat (see note below); 1 large egg; 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano; 3 cups (or as needed) Tomato Sauce (page 151) or sauce that accompanies Chicken Parmigiana, New-Style (page 266)

December 9, 2011

Peppers with a slight kick to them, like the cubanellas or banana peppers suggested at left, are wonderful for this dish. If you can’t find those, choose the long, thin-skinned peppers often sold as “Italian frying peppers” in supermarkets. You can serve the peppers alone or with a side of rigatoni, dressed with some of the sauce from the stuffed-pepper baking dish, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. This is a favorite dish at Becco, our restaurant in New York’s Theater District.

Cooks' Note

A mix of ground beef, pork, and veal is best, but that might not be practical. Try at least to use a blend of ground pork and beef, but, failing that, all ground beef or pork will do.

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