Stuffed Green Peppers with Tomato Sauce
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 3 hr 8 min
- Prep: 1 hr 40 min
- Inactive: 3 min
- Cook: 1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
Chicken Filling, recipe follows
2 cups cooked long grain rice
Tomato Sauce, heated, recipe follows
6 green bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Minced parsley, for garnish
Chicken Filling:
2 chicken legs, skinned and deboned
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup (about 1/4 pound) diced onion
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Wolfgang's Favorite Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows or store-bought, heated
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chicken Stock:
5 to 6 pounds chicken bones, including necks and feet, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch slices
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, and quartered
1 small celery stalk, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch slices
1 small leek, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch slices
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
Directions
- Prepare the Chicken Filling. When cool, stir in cooked rice. Reserve. Prepare the Tomato Sauce. Set aside and keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wash the peppers under cold water. Wipe dry. Cut the top 1-inch of the peppers off, keeping the stem intact. Reserve. Remove the core and seeds. Brush inside and outside with olive oil. Season inside with salt and pepper.
- Divide the filling into 6 portions and fill each pepper to the top. Place the lids back on top. In a roasting pan, place the stuffed peppers and the hot Tomato Sauce. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until done. Serve in heated plates garnished with minced parsley.
Chicken Filling:
- Coarsely grind the chicken and transfer to a large bowl. Reserve.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Saute the onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until all the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Cool.
- Stir the onion and mushroom mixture into the ground chicken. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. To test for taste, saute a small amount in a little oil and adjust seasoning.
- Reserve as stuffing for Green Peppers with Tomato Sauce.
- Yield: about 4 cups
- Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Adventures in the Kitchen" Random House, 1991
Wolfgang's Favorite Tomato Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Strain into a clean saucepan. Whisk in butter, piece by piece. Add basil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Use as needed.
- Yield: Makes 2 1/2 cups
Chicken Stock:
- Place the chicken bones in a 6 or 7-quart pot, pour cold water over to cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Skim off the foam and fat that collects on the top.
- Add the remaining ingredients, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 hours, skimming as necessary. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days, discarding the hardened layer of fat before using or freezing.
- Yield: Makes about 2 quarts
- Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!" Random House, 2000