Stuffed bell peppers are one of the most popular dishes among Ukrainian home cooks, says Anna Voloshyna, San Francisco chef and author of the forthcoming cookbook, “Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen” (Rizzoli, $40).
The stuffing in Voloshyna’s recipe is a mixture of ground pork and medium-grain rice. But it’s the accompanying sauce, made with onions, tomatoes, grated carrots and a tablespoon of heavy cream, that transforms this dish. As a kid growing up in southern Ukraine, Voloshyna remembers asking for a bowl of the sauce with a slice of fluffy white bread and a dollop of sour cream.
Bell Peppers Stuffed with Meat and Rice
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup medium-grain white rice (such as Calrose)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium-large red or orange bell peppers
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 pound ground pork
1 bay leaf
Sour cream, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, combine the rice with water to cover by 2½ inches and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the rice is translucent and half cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the rice and let it cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Cut off the stem end of each bell pepper and remove the seeds.
In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the onion and carrot are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes and broth, stir well, and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir in the cream. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, mix together the pork and parboiled rice and season with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. To check the seasoning, make a tiny patty (1 tablespoon will be enough), fry it in a small frying pan over medium heat and taste. Add more seasoning to the remaining
mixture if needed. Tightly stuff the peppers with the filling.
Stand the stuffed pepper in a pot just large enough to hold them in a single layer without crowding and carefully pour in the sauce. Make sure the sauce completely covers the peppers. Add the bay leaf to the pot, place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until the peppers are soft and the meat filling is no longer pink in the center, about 40 minutes. Transfer the peppers to individual plates and spoon the tomato sauce over the top, discarding the bay leaf. Serve with the sour cream.
— Anna Voloshyna, “Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen” (Rizzoli, $40)
