#stuffed pepper

azert volt par olyan is ami meg nem volt, szerintem a heten tobb csirket ettunk mint az utobbi fel evben,

peldaul zsuzso talalt egy receptet amit kicsit atalakitottunk, pestos csirkegolyok cukkinis sargatokos rizzsel.

meg egy ilyen teljesen egyszeru sult csirkecomb sult zoldsegekkel. edesburgonya, feherrepa, zeller, cekla, sargarepa egy kis olajjal es fuszerekkel osszekeverve, sutoben megsutve. egyszeru de nekem megis annyira izlik, hogy hetekig tudnam enni.

kaptam 7 dollarert egy mesfel kilos csontos karajt, lett belole pork tomahawk parolt kaposztaval meg ilyen bevagdosott fuszeres sultkrumplival. akkora volt a hus, hogy ment a ramenbe is (a felesleges csontokbol lett a broth),

meg lett belole toltelek a toltott sult paprikaba, es meg igy is maradt belole ma estere egy bulgogi bowlba.

After the success I had with sort of Greek stuffed peppers, I thought I'd try my hand at sort of Cajun stuffed peppers. The trouble being that a low-FODMAP diet allows neither garlic nor onions, and both are a component in any given commercially available Cajun seasoning mix. So this recipe adds all the other seasonings in a Cajun mix, and it worked pretty well, I thought. Culinarily speaking, my native diet is about as far from Cajun you can get in the contiguous 48, so be aware that this is completely inauthentic Cajun fare. This is vibes-based cuisine all the way.

Low-FODMAP Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers with Cajun Vibes

6 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (not green)

1 lb ground pork

1 1/2 c diced tomatoes, or one 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 c long grain white rice

3 cups water or broth

2 c shredded co-jack cheese

1 1/2 slices gluten-free bread

1/3 c grated Parmesan

2 tsp minced banana pepper rings, plus 2 tbsp of the brine

olive oil, salt & pepper

Preheat broiler and adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Halve the bell peppers lengthwise through stem, removing the seed pods but leaving the stem. Arrange peppers cut side down, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle salt on peppers. Broil for 4-5 minutes, until beginning to spot brown but not mushy. Set aside to cool.

Turn the oven down to 400F. Cook sausage in big skillet over medium-high heat until browned, then add Italian seasoning and tomatoes and cook until the liquid is gone. Add the rest of the seasonings and rice, and cook until fragrant, 30 secs to a minute. Add water or broth, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Off heat, add 1 1/2 c shredded co-jack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until crumby. (You should have about 1/2 c.) Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 1 tbsp oil in bowl. Take two of the bell pepper halves and chop up; you should have about a cup. Process chopped bell pepper, 2 tbsp breadcrumb mixture, banana peppers & brine, 2 tbsp oil, and salt to taste in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside sauce.

Arrange peppers on baking sheet cut side up, and fill with the sausage-rice mixture. You can really mound them up. Sprinkle with the rest of the co-jack, then divide the breadcrumbs over all the peppers, pressing lightly to flatten. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until well browned and heated through, and then let sit for 10 to cool a bit. Serve with sauce.

A note on various FODMAP concerns: broth is often a problem, because most commercially available broths have onions, garlic, celery, you name it. I went ahead and used the chicken-flavored Better Than Bullion, even though it has onions and garlic, because I'm of the opinion that it's a low-FODMAP diet, not a no-FODMAP diet. Otherwise water is fine, though you might want to add a little salt.

Green peppers aren't allowed, and you can have one serving of other colored peppers, which is one whole pepper. I found an Italian seasoning mix that didn't have garlic in it, but if you can't source such a thing, a mix of marjoram, oregano and thyme would work as a substitute. Tomatoes are similarly restricted, but the amount in any given stuffed pepper should be below the threshold.

Though decently spiced, this recipe could handle more seasoning, especially if you like hotter fare. The banana pepper sauce -- I used a yellow pepper in the mix, so it would be a bright yellow color -- was really cool, adding a note of sour brightness to the dish. You could probably use a hotter pepper, if you can find one without ubiquitous garlic.

The salad we had this with was just a garden salad with a simple oil and vinegar dressing: equal parts olive oil and an elderberry balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. The younger kid, who can be super picky, went back for seconds after asking, "Is this really low-FODMAP?" Which seems like pretty high praise.

This diet still sucks, but I'm kinda into how it's forced me to stretch my skills in the kitchen to compensate for all the things I'm missing. This is a weird analogy, but I have a background in poetry and prosody, and these restrictions are like the restrictions in writing a sonnet: it's easy to write a bad sonnet, but when you write a good one, it's sublime.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

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