Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

redforever · 12-20-2013, 12:34 AM

Bulgur Stuffed Peppers

2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 hot Serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 large mushrooms, minced
4 cup rich vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups bulgur wheat
1 cup walnuts, toasted, and, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, removed from sprigs
1 Tsp fresh oregano, removed from sprigs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
6 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
Salt for sprinkling
Extra cheese for topping

1 Preheat the oven to 375F.

2 Put the oil and butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the Serrano or jalapeno pepper and the mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes.

3 Stir in the broth, soy sauce, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bulgur, walnuts, and honey and combine. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender. Fluff with a fork and cool slightly. Stir in the basil, thyme, oregano, grated cheeses, and beaten eggs.

4 Put the pepper halves into an oiled baking dish and sprinkle with salt. Press and mound some stuffing into each pepper. Sprinkle each pepper with 2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese.

5 Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

My Changes

a) I presoak the bulgur. I put the bulgur and broth in a large bowl and microwave for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the broth is very hot. Stir to combine, cover with saran, and let sit for 30 minutes. The liquid should now be absorbed and the bulgur should be soft and ready to use. I use 1 heaping cup of bulgur and 1 1/2 cups broth and find those amounts are more than sufficient.

b) I omit the oil and butter.

c) I add 3 Italian sausages (hot or mild), removed from their casings. I sauté the sausage in a Dutch oven until most of the pink is gone, crumbling it as it cooks. Then I add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and Serrano (seeds and all) and sauté until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Next I add the soy sauce, nuts, spices, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. If I don’t have fresh herbs around, I use a heaping teaspoon each of dried. If I don’t have toasted walnuts, I use toasted pine nuts.

d) Then I let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, while I clean and prepare the red peppers. Once cooled, I add the cheeses and eggs to the bulgur mixture and stir to combine. If I feel the mixture is a bit dry, I add a bit more grated mozzarella.

e) Next I pour 2 to 3 cups Marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, just enough to amply coat the bottom of the baking pan. I stuff and mound the red pepper halves with as much filling as possible and lay the peppers in the pan. Then I sprinkle each stuffed pepper with about 2 Tbsp grated mozzarella cheese.

f) I cover the stuffed peppers with foil and bake them for 15 minutes. Then I remove the foil and bake the peppers for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned and the peppers are al dente.

Note: If you have left over filling, you can either freeze it for later use or make some other recipes with it. Use your imagination.

a) You could make quesadillas. Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese on a tortilla, then some filling, some more shredded cheese, and top with another tortilla. Sauté over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

b) You could make stuffed portabella mushrooms. Remove the gills and tough stem and parbake the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and stuff and mound them with filling. Sprinkle each stuffed mushroom with shredded mozzarella and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown, and the mushrooms are cooked through.

c) You could make stuffed squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Put the squash in a baking pan, cut side down, and parbake for 20 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and stuff and mound with filling. Sprinkle each stuffed squash with shredded mozzarella and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and the squash is cooked through.

d) You could make stuffed pasta shells. Cook large pasta shells just until al dente, stuff them with the filling, put them in a baking dish with marinara sauce on the bottom, and then bake as per the original instructions.

For a very quick marinara sauce:

1/2 onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
Splash of wine (1/3 cup)

Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Transfer to a saucepan or sauté pan that is somewhat wide in diameter. Bring to a quick boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook uncovered until somewhat thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.

You will only need about half the marinara sauce for this recipe. Freeze the rest for future use.

12-20-2013, 12:34 AM	#32
redforever Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Exp:	Bulgur Stuffed Peppers 2 Tbsp oil 1 Tbsp butter 1 1/2 large onions, chopped 4 large cloves garlic, minced 1 hot Serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 4 large mushrooms, minced 4 cup rich vegetable or chicken broth 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups bulgur wheat 1 cup walnuts, toasted, and, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, removed from sprigs 1 Tsp fresh oregano, removed from sprigs 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 2 large eggs, beaten 6 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed Salt for sprinkling Extra cheese for topping 1 Preheat the oven to 375F. 2 Put the oil and butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the Serrano or jalapeno pepper and the mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes. 3 Stir in the broth, soy sauce, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bulgur, walnuts, and honey and combine. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender. Fluff with a fork and cool slightly. Stir in the basil, thyme, oregano, grated cheeses, and beaten eggs. 4 Put the pepper halves into an oiled baking dish and sprinkle with salt. Press and mound some stuffing into each pepper. Sprinkle each pepper with 2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese. 5 Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. My Changes a) I presoak the bulgur. I put the bulgur and broth in a large bowl and microwave for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the broth is very hot. Stir to combine, cover with saran, and let sit for 30 minutes. The liquid should now be absorbed and the bulgur should be soft and ready to use. I use 1 heaping cup of bulgur and 1 1/2 cups broth and find those amounts are more than sufficient. b) I omit the oil and butter. c) I add 3 Italian sausages (hot or mild), removed from their casings. I sauté the sausage in a Dutch oven until most of the pink is gone, crumbling it as it cooks. Then I add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and Serrano (seeds and all) and sauté until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Next I add the soy sauce, nuts, spices, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. If I don’t have fresh herbs around, I use a heaping teaspoon each of dried. If I don’t have toasted walnuts, I use toasted pine nuts. d) Then I let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, while I clean and prepare the red peppers. Once cooled, I add the cheeses and eggs to the bulgur mixture and stir to combine. If I feel the mixture is a bit dry, I add a bit more grated mozzarella. e) Next I pour 2 to 3 cups Marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, just enough to amply coat the bottom of the baking pan. I stuff and mound the red pepper halves with as much filling as possible and lay the peppers in the pan. Then I sprinkle each stuffed pepper with about 2 Tbsp grated mozzarella cheese. f) I cover the stuffed peppers with foil and bake them for 15 minutes. Then I remove the foil and bake the peppers for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned and the peppers are al dente. Note: If you have left over filling, you can either freeze it for later use or make some other recipes with it. Use your imagination. a) You could make quesadillas. Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese on a tortilla, then some filling, some more shredded cheese, and top with another tortilla. Sauté over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. b) You could make stuffed portabella mushrooms. Remove the gills and tough stem and parbake the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and stuff and mound them with filling. Sprinkle each stuffed mushroom with shredded mozzarella and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown, and the mushrooms are cooked through. c) You could make stuffed squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Put the squash in a baking pan, cut side down, and parbake for 20 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and stuff and mound with filling. Sprinkle each stuffed squash with shredded mozzarella and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and the squash is cooked through. d) You could make stuffed pasta shells. Cook large pasta shells just until al dente, stuff them with the filling, put them in a baking dish with marinara sauce on the bottom, and then bake as per the original instructions. For a very quick marinara sauce: 1/2 onion, diced 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp dried thyme 3/4 tsp dried basil 3/4 tsp dried oregano Splash of wine (1/3 cup) Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Transfer to a saucepan or sauté pan that is somewhat wide in diameter. Bring to a quick boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook uncovered until somewhat thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. You will only need about half the marinara sauce for this recipe. Freeze the rest for future use.