Stuffed Peppers

I'm really into stuffing things lately. Heh heh.  I have the luxury of kid-free mornings, so I like to assemble stuffed dishes then. That way, when 5:00 rolls around, I can pop a dish in the oven, mix a much-needed cocktail, and the girls and I can relax together and watch "Bewitched," our new favorite show. Spending that normally stress-filled hour relaxing, instead rushing around the kitchen is so worth sacrificing a part of my morning. I try to have a ready-to-bake dish in my arsenal at least a couple of times a week, especially on nights when I know we'll get home late, or I'm going out, but if I could, I'd do it every, single day.

This version of a stuffed pepper has a Mediterranean spin, with the lamb and Manchego.  Any ground meat, and any kind of cheese, would work well here, obviously, but CityMama gave me some of her CSA lamb that her unborn Bundle couldn't stand, and I thought it would be really good with Manchego (it was). A bechamel sauce on top, to keep the meat moist, would have been fab.  Next time.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Ingredients: Under 10
*CSA Items

4 medium peppers (I like all colors, but used all red here), roughly the same size.
1/2 a medium onion*, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can chopped tomatoes + juice (or 2-3 cups tomato sauce)
1 lb. ground lamb
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tbsp each chopped fresh oregano, mint and flat leaf parsley*
1 cup grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup water

Remove the tops of the peppers and use a spoon to scoop the insides out.  Preheat oven to 400. Sautee onion and garlic until nearly soft, then add meat. When meat is almost done, drain off most of the grease, then dump in tomatoes + juice. Transfer to a bowl, then mix in rice and herbs. Stuff the meat mixture into the peppers, really fill 'em up, then place them in a small baking dish. Pour water into baking dish (this will keep the peppers moist while baking). Bake for about 30 minutes, then check for tenderness. If peppers seem soft enough for your taste, top each with cheese, and bake just until melted.

Lamb Bruschetta Burgers

We don't do hunks of meat in our house. Not because I'm morally opposed to them - everything in moderation - but for other reasons. Mike's got a bum esophagus and can't eat meat that isn't in ground form, for one. And as a former vegetarian, I have a general lack of know-how and, to be perfectly frank, desire, to cook and clean hunks of meat (necks? gizzards? claws? oh, shit!). I'd rather eat a nice, juicy, grass-fed steak in a restaurant, or a lovely chicken wing at a BBQ. Cooking meat just really isn't my bag. We eat vegetarian approximately half the time, maybe a little more, and the other half incorporates ground meat, in the form of sauces, burgers, balls, loaves, etc. We do ground chicken, beef, pork, lamb, turkey, bison, and various combinations of all 4. This is my friend Jen's recipe, tweaked a little to suit my taste. If you've never served lamb before, and you are nervous that it won't go over well... just serve it in burger form! Everyone loves a burger. And after they eat it, and love it, you can be all "Haha, that was a cute little LAMB, suckas! And you ATE it!"

Or not.


Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Ingredients: 10

1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each dried oregano and mint
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small bunch basil, cut into thin ribbons
4 slices fresh mozzerella, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 chunks of a good baguette or hamburger buns
1 tub of Trader Joe's Tomato Bruschetta **refrigerated, not jarred ** (you can make your own, obviously, but this version is perfection. You will not regret buying it).


Mix lamb with onion, garlic and spices. Divide into 4 patties. Pan-sautee or bar-b-q til until almost done to your liking, then place cheese on top, and cover to melt. Place on your bread of choice, and top with a lovin' spoonful - or 3 -  of bruschetta topping, and a mound of basil. Warning: don't wear your nice, white shirt to dinner. And pick up some paper napkins.