Recipe: Hungry Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (2 ways - vegetarian or with meat)

HUNGRY HUNGARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS

"These stuffed peppers pack quite a punch - not in a violent way, but in a stomach-filling kind of way, which is why they are the perfect meal on those days when you've been partaking in athletic activity (or those sad days when you've subbed in an oddly tasteless nutty bar or some such for a real lunch because you were too busy at the office). So whip these up when you have a serious hankering for some rib-sticking vittles. We're not saying Al Hrabosky (the former Major League Baseball relief pitcher and mustache enthusiast better known as the Mad Hungarian) would become instantly happy after eating these, but he'd at least smile."

Serves 3 vegetarians and 3 meat-eaters

2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided use
1 large yellow onion, chopped
12 ounces lean ground beef
2 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 (12 ounce) package vegetarian beef crumbles (such as Morningstar Meal Starters)
6 medium-size green bell peppers

Combine the tomato sauce, pepper, salt, parsley, thyme, and cayenne in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat; stir well, and cover.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil to each of two medium-size skillets or saute pans over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the onion to each skillet. Add the ground beef to one of the skillets. Stirring regularly, cook until the onions have reached a light golden color and are soft and the ground beef is browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the rice to each skillet, and add the vegetarian crumbles to the skillet without the beef in it. Cook the contents of both skillets for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut the tops off of the green peppers (about 1/4 inch from the top is good), and scrape out the membranes and seeds. Using a spoon, fill 3 of the peppers with the vegetarian crumble-rice mixture, and fill the remaining 3 peppers with the beef-rice mixture.

Transfer half of the tomato sauce to a second medium-size saucepan.

Place the 3 peppers stuffed with the vegetarian filling into one saucepan, making sure that the tops of the peppers are facing skyward (this may take a touch of balancing). Place the beef-stuffed peppers into the other saucepan in the same manner. Cover both saucepans, and raise the heat under each to medium-high. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 20 more minutes, then check the peppers for doneness with a fork. If the fork goes easily into the peppers, they're done-if not, cook for 10 more minutes.

Serve each pepper in a shallow bowl, pouring some of the tomato sauce over the top.

VARIATIONS:

MAKE IT ALL VEGETARIAN:
Omit the ground beef, and use two 12-ounce packages vegetarian beef crumbles, cooking everything in one large skillet.

MAKE IT ALL MEAT:
Omit the vegetarian beef crumbles, and use 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, cooking everything in one large skillet.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Harvard Commons Press
Source: Double Take by A.J. Rathbun and Jeremy Holt