Stuffed Bell Peppers

(6-8 servings)

I love this time of year! The temperatures are slowly dropping towards something more reasonable and the markets are filled with an abundance of fresh produce.

Red bell peppers were on sale this week. These tasty sweet vegetables make perfect containers for a savory beef filling. This recipe can easily be doubled and the cooked stuffed peppers freeze really well.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup raw long grain rice
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp fennel seeds
3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
a few pinches of cayenne pepper
1 3/4 lbs extra lean ground sirloin
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 plum tomato, diced

8 red bell peppers

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the garlic, rice and HALF (3/4 cup) of the beef broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with lid. Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and remove the lid. Give everything a good stir, then cover again and allow to cool.

Place the onion and rice mixture into a large bowl.

Wipe out the pot. Pour the remaining 3/4 cup beef broth into the pot and set aside.

Add the salt, fennel, pepper, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne to the onion and rice mixture and stir until everything is well combined. Add the ground sirloin, parsley and diced tomato. Combine until everything is evenly mixed. Set aside.

Wash the bell peppers. Cut off the tops and set aside. Remove the pith and seeds. Rinse the insides. Stuff each bell pepper with the meat mixture, cover with its top and place into the pot standing upright.

Cover the pot and place over a low flame. Cook for about 1 1/2 -2 hours. When the filling is cooked through, remove the lid. If a lot of liquid has accumulated, increase the heat and simmer briskly until it's reduced.

Serve.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

(about 6 servings)

A four pound pork shoulder roast might seem like a lot for six servings, but you'd be surprised how much of that ends up as rendered fat. I weighed the cooked meat after I removed the fat and bone. There were about two pounds of tender pork left.

This recipe becomes a two day process for me because I like to refrigerate everything overnight so I can remove as much of the cooled fat as possible.

Pulled pork is especially good served with corn salsa and cooked rice.

1 large onion, chopped, (about 1 lb)
1 bay leaf
4 lb pork shoulder or butt, with the bone
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne

Spread the chopped onion evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the bay leaf. Place the pork over the onions with the fat side facing up.

Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour over the pork and cover the slow cooker with the lid.

Cook on low for about 8-10 hours or until the meat is fork tender. If you happen to be around, you can turn the meat over about half way through, but this isn't essential.

The tender meat will fall off the bone. Remove as much fat (and discard) from the meat as possible, then shred the meat with a fork. Place into a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Remove the bay leaf and place the sauce into the refrigerator overnight too.

The next day remove as much of the cooled fat (and discard) from the sauce as possible. Combine the sauce and pork and reheat everything.

This delicious pulled pork goes really well with corn salsa and rice.

Slow Cooked Boston Beans

(about 4 servings)

I used to make these in the oven, but since moving to Dallas, I've made them in my slow cooker instead. They seem to come out almost the same; if anything, imo the slow cooker method seems to produce slightly moister beans.

There was no salt pork at the market yesterday.. they did have smoked pork jowls, but those were huge and I wasn't sure what I'd do with the other half, so I settled on a small package of prosciutto ends. The flavour they added was very good, I loved the small prosciutto pieces and I was pleased there was a lower amount of fat in the dish.

Garlic-Studded Sirloin Tri Tip in the Slow Cooker

(about 3-4 servings)

The past two weeks have been pretty hectic for me, but I'm kind of back on track, at least for the moment.

Yesterday I did a bit of shopping to stock up on stuff and bought a sirloin tri tip roast on impulse; it wasn't on my list, but it looked really good. It was nicely marbled so I decided to treat it like a brisket.

It turned out amazing. If I were inclined to eat more meat, I'd probably make this every weekend until I tired of it.

1 1/2 lb sirloin tri tip roast
3 - 5 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 - 4 tbsp olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 tsp of salt, to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste
several pinches, hot paprika
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or water
1 (generous) tbsp flour

Using a small sharp knife, make a small incisions into the meat (the length of the garlic) and insert a sliver of garlic into each.  Spacing the cuts about 1 inch apart, continue until the entire side of the roast is studded with garlic.

Rub about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over that side and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper and a pinch or two of hot paprika.

Turn the roast over and coat the other side with another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, then sprinkle that with salt, pepper and the hot paprika.

Place half of the sliced mushrooms into the bottom of the slow cooker, then arrange the roast over that and top with the remaining mushrooms.

Cover and cook for about 4-5 hours on the low setting until the meat is very tender.

Combine the tomato paste and wine (or water) in a small bowl, then mix in the flour until well combined and smooth. Pour this into the slow cooker and stir to combine it with the liquid from the meat and mushrooms. Cover and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or so until the sauce thickens.

Remove the meat and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Using a very sharp knife, cut into slices across the grain. Serve with the mushroom sauce.