Beef-stuffed peppers

Name: Beef-stuffed peppers
Ingredients: 500 ml water; 1 medium onion (150 g); 1 medium carrot (100 g); 1 medium parsnip (100 g); 1/2 small celeriac (150 g); 10 g celery leaves; 2 teaspoons salt; 10 medium peppers; 400 g ground beef; 45 g rice; 10 g celery leaves; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1000 ml water for blanching; 750 g tomatoes; 45 ml oil; 16 g flour; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon sugar

Meat - Beef-stuffed peppers by Doina A. - Recipia

Beef-stuffed peppers are filled only three-quarters full and baked in tomato sauce. The rice binds the filling, while the sauce reduces in the oven and thickens enough to cling to the peppers. I choose peppers with flat bottoms so they stand well in the pot. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 65 minutes. Total time: 90 minutes. Serves: 5. Approximately 410 kcal and 20 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

500 ml water
1 medium onion (150 g)
1 medium carrot (100 g)
1 medium parsnip (100 g)
1/2 small celeriac (150 g)
10 g celery leaves
2 teaspoons salt
10 medium peppers
400 g ground beef
45 g rice
10 g celery leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1000 ml water for blanching
750 g tomatoes
45 ml oil
16 g flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

1. Peel and wash the onion, carrot, parsnip and celeriac. Chop them, but not too finely, and put them in an oven-safe pot with 500 ml water, 10 g whole celery leaves and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer for 12 minutes, until they start to soften. 2. Wash the peppers and remove the stems and seeds. Mix the beef with the rice, 10 g chopped celery leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, then fill the peppers three-quarters full. 3. Blanch the tomatoes for 1 minute in 1000 ml boiling water, until the skins start to loosen. Peel and mash them into a paste. Set 150 ml aside and pour the rest into the pot over the vegetables. 4. Arrange the peppers in the pot and add another 1 teaspoon salt. Bake for 40 minutes at 180°C, until the peppers soften and the liquid reduces. 5. Heat 45 ml oil, add the flour and stir for 1 minute without letting it burn. Sprinkle in the paprika, then immediately pour in the reserved tomato paste and the sugar. Simmer the sauce for 1 minute. 6. Strain the sauce over the peppers and gently shake the pot to mix it in, without using a spoon. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Notes

I serve them with soft polenta, which soaks up the sauce on the plate. I keep portions in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat them gently with the sauce. I choose thick-walled peppers of a similar size. Thin-walled ones soften faster. If the peppers are larger than medium, check them after 40 minutes, as they may need more time in the oven. I add a teaspoon of sugar when the tomatoes are sour, for the sweet-and-sour taste I like. The flour is the step we can easily rush: keep stirring it in the oil the whole time. For a gluten-free version, replace the flour with 1 tablespoon starch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water and stirred into the gently simmering sauce. The flour in the regular sauce contains gluten.