Stuffed Pepper

I love using peppers when cooking, but I have never used yellow nor orange peppers (save for the orange-colored habanero). So out of curiosity, I bought a yellow bell pepper (along with my yuletide-colored ones - green and red) for a relleno recipe.

The smaller the pepper, the spicier it is, so I didn't have any problem gobbling up the bell peppers. The yellow pepper was good, I don't think it tastes sweeter than the other varieties, but there is a fruity undertone. Red would still be my favorite, though.

What you need:

• 2 large bell peppers
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sweet peas
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

What to do:

Preheat convection oven to 350 degrees.

In a pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. When done, drain the oil and set aside.

Wipe the grease from your pan or skillet and melt the butter in it. Saute the garlic, onions and tomatoes for a minute, then add the ground beef. Put in the chopped onions and sweet peas, and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.

After it has cooled, add in the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and mix well to distribute evenly.

Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Spoon in the ground beef mix inside the bell pepper halves, making sure to press down a bit to fill in all the cracks and crevices. Continue doing so until you have used all of your ground beef (or bell pepper halves). Sprinkle with a little bit more Parmesan Cheese.

Put your filled pepper halves on a non-stick dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until it has reached your desired doneness.

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Try using a melon baller to scoop out the seeds of the pepper halves.
2. Not a big fan of Parmesan Cheese? Use mozzarella for a lighter flavor and stickier texture. You can also try grated Cheddar for a stronger cheese taste.
3. Slice your stick butter in its container by tablespoon before putting it in the fridge so you can get just the amount you need without melting the entire block.
4. You can use yellow, red, green, or orange bell peppers. Or any color bell pepper you can think of! ;-)
5. For bigger stuffed peppers, instead of cutting the pepper in half, just slice the cap part and remove the seeds.