Stuffed peppers with beef &rice (yemistes piperies me moscharaki kai rizi)

Stuffed peppers with beef &rice (yemistes piperies me moscharaki kai rizi)
How to Roast a lamb, by Michael Psilakis, pg 173

2 T olive oil (or a 90/10 mix of canola/olive oil)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
½ small sweet onion, finely chopped
¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped
12 oz ground beef
½ cup white wine
kosher salt & ground pepper

½ cup uncooked white rice
3 cups water or broth or mix
2/3 roughly chopped fresh herbs (parley, dill, mint)
2 T fresh lemon juice
3 T garlic puree

6 bell peppers

Heat the oil until very hot. Add the onion, celery and fennel. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown well. Deglaze the pan (remove the meat etc but leave the liquid) with the white wine, cook until the wine is absorbed (reduced by about half). Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, then add the water or broth and bring to a boil (add the meat & vegs back into the mixture). Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in half the herbs, the lemon juice and the garlic puree.

• garlic puree: 3 cups garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves
• 8-10 fresh thyme leaves
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• about 2 cups blended oil (canola and olive)
Put the garlic in a heavy, covered braising pan. Add the bay leaf and thyme, a scant Tbsp kosher salt and 15-20 peppercorns. Barely cover with oil.
Cover the pan and braise in a 300°F oven until the cloves are pale and golden and very tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Cool to room temperature.
Transfer the garlic and the oil to a sterilized jar. Press a square of wax paper over the oil, seal tightly. After ever use, press down the wax paper. Keep refrigerated. Keep for 3 weeks.

Let the beef mixture, rice and garlic puree stand for a couple of minutes while you prepare the peppers.

Wash the peppers, cut about 1” below the top, reserve the top to cap later.

Cut the tops off the peppers about 1” down, core the peppers.

Heat the oven to 400°. Place the peppers in a Dutch oven or other baking dish that will hold the peppers upright. Fill the peppers to within ¼ inch full, spoon the pan sauces over the peppers, salt well. Bake until done, about 40 minutes.

HOW I DID IT: When it was all finished there was a lot of juice in the pan. I kind-of missed the part about the garlic puree and covering with the tops (I noticed it after I’d chopped 3 of the pepper tops). OOPS.

Ultimately, after it was done, I scooped out the mixture and added the chopped pepper tops and pan juice, cooked it down and added it back to the peppers.

I like the technique for peppers with the turkey-stuffing better. Cook the rice, blend in the meat and herbs, onion etc, stuff & bake or BBQ (over indirect heat). Much sturdier.