Peppers Stuffed with Rice and Baccalà, or Peperoni Ripieni al Riso e Baccalà: As of this writing it has become hot enough that hearty meat dishes will cause even the sternest individual to wilt, whereas vegetables will refresh and relieve. Here is a recipe for peppers stuffed with rice and baccalà. Though it does require turning on the oven, these peppers will be just as nice warm as they will be hot (better, perhaps). To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers, about 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) in all. The colors are up to you
- 5-6 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained
- 12 ounces (300 g) baccalà, soaked to remove the excess salt, and skin and spines removed (you
- could also use fresh cod if need be)
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cloves garlic
- An onion
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- A bay leaf
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and hot pepper to taste
Preparation:
Boil the rice for about 8 minutes and drain it, running it under cool water to interrupt the cooking. Prepare the tomatoes. Mince the garlic and the onion, and sauté them in a pan with the herbs and the hot pepper, in half the oil. Add the tomatoes and crumble the baccalà into the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, and check seasoning.
While the fish is simmering, preheat your oven to 380 F (190 C). Stir the rice into the baccalà. Stem the peppers, cut them in half lengthwise, rib them, and seed them. Salt their cavities, lay them in an ovenproof dish lined with oven paper, and fill them with the fish mixture. Bake them for 35-40 minutes, drizzle them with the remaining oil, let them rest for a few minutes, and serve.
Yield: 4 servings peppers filled with rice and baccala.
While the fish is simmering, preheat your oven to 380 F (190 C). Stir the rice into the baccalà. Stem the peppers, cut them in half lengthwise, rib them, and seed them. Salt their cavities, lay them in an ovenproof dish lined with oven paper, and fill them with the fish mixture. Bake them for 35-40 minutes, drizzle them with the remaining oil, let them rest for a few minutes, and serve.
Yield: 4 servings peppers filled with rice and baccala.
