Stuffed Peppers, East German Style

Apparently it’s been 11 years since I last posted a stuffed peppers recipe! I am posting a new one, which a) is a different style, and b) I think is more delicious. My previous recipe was more of a Turkish style. This is based on Das Original DDR Kochbuch, which we purchased in Weimar, Germany.  I have added some spice to what would have been a rather stodgy recipe.

This is great to make if you are practically drowning in peppers from the garden, as we are at this time of year. We used about 12 peppers of varying sizes, mostly small. If you are using store-bought peppers, 6 will probably do.

Before. Note: some extra peppers were placed in my massive Dutch oven as spacers (and not filled with rice).

Bonus picture of Violet’s favorite game that she invented–pepper tops! They say “Helloooo!” and jump around a lot.

Melt-in-your-mouth taste of summer.

Preheat oven to 400° F

Filling

6-10 green bell peppers
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
2 c. cooked basmati rice
1 large onion, minced
1 lb. ground pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. dried white onion
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. freshly ground whole coriander seeds (yes, you can just use ground, but this has more flavor)
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into pats

In a large frying pan, cook the ground pork in the butter and olive oil, breaking it up so it is very fine. When it is mostly cooked, add the fresh onion, garlic, and spices. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion starts to go translucent. Remove from heat and gently fold in the cooked rice. Taste and adjust salt–should be fairly salty to overcome the rice.

Sauce

1 can tomato sauce
1 can water (15 oz.)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. white pepper

In a small saucepan, melt the butter until it starts to sizzle. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.  Whisk in the tomato sauce and water, and bring to a simmer. Add the garlic, coriander, and white pepper, and simmer for 2 minutes.

Combine

Cut the top off of each pepper, leaving the “shoulder”. Empty out the seeds and pith. Lightly oil a large dutch oven or deep casserole with a lid that can accommodate your peppers. Fill the peppers loosely with the rice mixture and place them into the casserole, putting the pepper tops back on as lids. Pour the tomato sauce in-between the peppers and ensure it covers the bottom of the dish (add more water if it doesn’t). Place some pats of butter over the peppers, and cover. Bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes, or until the peppers are cooked and tender. Serve with the sauce spooned over. Makes great leftovers!