Bell Peppers Stuffed With Rice Raisins And Pine Nuts Recipes

STUFFED RED BELL PEPPERS WITH RICE, PINE NUTS AND CURRANTS

Steps:

• Heat 3 T olive oil in a saute pan, add onions and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add rice and pine nuts and stir 5 minutes over low heat. Add currants, tomatoes, mint, allspice, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes.
• Add 1 1/4 cups broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Taste and adjust seasoning; rice will be only partially cooked.
• Preheat oven to 175°C Cut a slice off stem end of peppers, leaving stem on. Reserve slice; remove core and seeds from inside pepper.
• Spoon stuffing into peppers and cover with reserved slices.
• Stand them in a baking dish in which they just fit.
• Add 1 1/2 cups broth or hot water to dish.
• Sprinkle peppers with 2T oil.
• Cover and bake for 1 hour or until peppers are tender, basting occasionally and adding a little more water if needed.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place green and red bell peppers in a bowl with enough warm water to cover, and soak 5 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork and onions in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pork is evenly brown. Drain grease, and mix in wine and tomato puree. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet mixture to a large bowl, and mix in feta cheese, cooked rice, raisins, pine nuts, and parsley. Stuff peppers with the mixture, and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove foil, and continue baking 10 minutes, until stuffing is lightly browned. May be served hot or cold.

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH MRS. KOSTYRA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts in single layer on a small baking sheet. Bake until golden and aromatic, 8 to 12 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure nuts toast evenly.
• Line a baking pan that's just large enough to hold the peppers with the tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine raisins and orange juice in a small bowl. Let stand until raisins are plumped, about 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, cut around the stems of six of the peppers. Core and seed the peppers, reserving the stems. Set aside.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rice, and simmer, covered, until rice is just a little undercooked, about 15 minutes.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and shallots, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the finely chopped pepper and the plumped raisins. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme leaves, basil, chervil, and pine nuts, stirring to combine. Stir in the cooked rice.
• Fill each pepper with one sixth of the rice mixture. Place reserved pepper stems on top of each pepper. Top the tomatoes with the reserved thyme stems. Fit the peppers into the baking dish, and place the chervil sprigs between them. Cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil, and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover, and continue to bake until peppers are tender and rice is heated through, about 10 minutes.

SICILIAN PEPPERS, RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Chop whole onions. Saute onions in hot oil in a nonstick pan until soft.
• Meanwhile, slice whole peppers in a food processor, and add to the onions, cooking over medium heat until they begin to soften.
• Stir in raisins, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and continue to cook until peppers are softened.

MEDITERRANEAN RICE-STUFFED ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in upper third.
• Quarter escarole lengthwise, leaving base attached, and rinse well. Cook in a medium pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 quart water to a boil with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan. Add rice and parboil, uncovered, 10 minutes (rice will not be tender). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain rice in a sieve.
• Cook pine nuts in 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add peppers, raisins, capers, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until raisins begin to plump, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rice. Cool slightly, then stir in egg and 1/4 cup cheese.
• Cut off and discard base from 1 escarole quarter, then gently spread leaves to create a 4-inch-wide area. With base end nearest you, place one fourth of rice mixture in center of bottom half of escarole. Fold base of leaves over rice, then fold in sides and roll up rice in escarole. Put, seam side down, in a 2-quart flameproof shallow baking dish, then repeat with remaining escarole and rice.
• Drizzle with reserved cooking liquid and remaining tablespoon oil, then sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove foil and turn on broiler, then broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is browned, 4 to 7 minutes.

BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH RICE, RAISINS, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• For the filling, fry the onion in 3 tablespoons oil until soft. Add the rice and stir until thoroughly coated and translucent. Pour in 2 cups water and add salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed but the rice is still a little underdone. Stir in the pine nuts, currants or raisins, tomato, cinnamon, allspice, mint, dill, parsley, and lemon juice, as well as the rest of the oil.
• Retaining the stalk, cut a circle around the stalk end of the peppers and set to one side to use as caps. Remove the cores and seeds with a spoon and discard. Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, and replace the caps.
• Arrange the peppers side by side in a shallow baking dish, pour about water into the bottom, and bake in the oven preheated to 375°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Be careful that they do not fall apart.
• Serve cold, accompanied, if you like, by a bowl of yogurt beaten with or without crushed garlic.