Recipe: Grilled Stuffed Peppers (using rice, sausage meat and ground beef)

GRILLED STUFFED PEPPERS

"Stuffed peppers come out well on the grill if you don't make them too big. I like to mix ground meats and season the stuffed peppers heavily. Be sure to cook a little of the meat mixture to test the seasonings before you stuff the peppers, since the salt and spice levels of the various sausage meats and seasoning mixes vary widely."

2 tablespoons seasoning blend of your choice
1 teaspoon salt (omit if there is salt in the seasoning mix)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 pound breakfast sausage meat
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup cooked rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Cayenne pepper
Ground cumin
Oil, for frying
3 small green bell peppers (four lobes preferred)

Mix the seasoning blend, salt, and wine in a small bowl and stir well. Then combine the mixture with all the other ingredients except the oil and peppers in a mixing bowl and mash with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Put the meat in the refrigerator for an hour or more to allow the flavors to blend.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and place a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until done on both sides. Taste, and adjust the salt and seasonings in the remaining meat mixture.

Cut the peppers in half through the stem so that they form six half-pepper cups. Fill each half pepper with meat mixture. Mound the meat no more than a 1/2-inch over the top edge of each pepper. The stuffed peppers can be made in advance to this point and stored covered in the refrigerator for several days.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Light the grill. Cook pepper side down over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pepper is charred and soft. Turn the stuffed peppers over and cook on the meat side for 10 minutes. Test for doneness.

Serve immediately with your choice of salsas. These are also great cold or cut into slices for sandwiches.

VARIATIONS:

LEB-MEX PEPPERS:
Use kebab seasoning such as Sadaf, available in Middle Eastern grocery stores.

CAJUN PEPPERS:
Use a Cajun spice blend such as Tony Chachere's or Zatarain's and omit the salt.

Makes 6 small stuffed pepper halves
Source: The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Robb Walsh