Alton Brown Stuffed Pepper Recipes

THE BEST STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• If your peppers don't sit upright on your cutting board, trim about 1/8-inch off the bottoms to even them out so they can stand without falling over. Cut the top off each pepper about 1/2-inch down. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the remaining flesh from the tops. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membranes as you can. Place the peppers in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/2 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high power for 12 minutes. Carefully uncover and let them sit until ready to assemble.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the beef in an even layer and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up any clumps with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the pan until the meat is lightly browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the browned meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the reserved chopped peppers, onions, garlic, thyme, 4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until falling apart and much of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly until brick red colored, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is reduced, very thick and no smell of alcohol remains, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Transfer to the bowl with the beef. Stir in the rice until completely combined. (The mixture will be wet.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Place the peppers cut-side up in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spoon the filling into the peppers, gently pressing it in with the back of a spoon. Be careful not to overstuff and split the sides of the peppers. Bake for 15 minutes. Then top with the cheese and continue baking until the filling is heated through and the cheese is browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes.

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add about 2 inches of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer insert, and bring to a high simmer. Arrange the peppers in the steamer, cover the pot and cook, rotating the peppers as needed, until they are very tender and pliable, about 25 minutes. Remove the peppers with a slotted spoon, and drain upside-down on paper towels.
• Put the oil, onions and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the beef, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking the beef up, until browned and mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Let cool in the skillet for at least 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the rice, parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella, breadcrumbs, eggs and Worcestershire and mix to combine.
• Stand the peppers up in a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. If they fall over, cut away a little of the bottoms (without cutting through the pepper) to make a flat surface.
• Generously fill and pack the peppers with the meat-rice mixture. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Add just enough water to the pan to cover the bottom to help steam the peppers. Loosely cover with foil, and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for 10 minutes more.

STUFFED TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Slice roast open lengthwise in middle to create a pocket, being careful to not slice all the way through.
• Salt and pepper the meat on all sides.
• Heat a grill pan over high heat and brush roast with olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides. Remove from the heat, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
• After the meat has rested, stuff pocket with the blue cheese. Tie the whole thing together with kitchen string. Return the tied meat to the grill pan, place into the oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in aluminum foil and allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Put mushrooms, water, and wine into a container and soak until mushrooms are rehydrated. Remove mushrooms and squeeze out excess liquid. Reserve the liquid. Roughly chop mushrooms.
• Sprinkle the cored and seeded tomatoes with salt and place upside down to drain. In a saute pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add shallots, garlic, and onion. Cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes then add 1/2 cup of the reserved mushroom liquid to pan and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes, or until most of liquid is absorbed. Add the panko and the chopped tomato and stir to combine. Season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Preheat the broiler. Mix together the room temperature goat cheese and parsley and reserve. Stuff each tomato with the mushroom stuffing and top with thin layer of goat cheese mixture. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and put under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese is slightly melted and golden.