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1
Cook and Cool the Rice
15 Mins
Boiling, about 100°C (212°F)
Cook the 120g of dry rice in a pan of salted boiling water for about 12 minutes, until just tender. Drain it well and spread it on a plate to cool completely while you make the filling.
Drain the rice well and cool it before it meets the beef — hot, wet rice makes the filling soggy and the peppers steam instead of bake.
Done when: 330g of cooled, separate grains of rice, not a sticky clump.
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2
Brown the Beef Filling
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 1 minute. Add the 350g of ground beef and cook, breaking it up, for about 6 minutes until browned all over. Stir in the chopped tomato and the oregano and cook for 3 minutes more until the mixture is thick. Take off the heat and stir in the cooled rice, half the mozzarella and the parsley, and season with the salt and pepper.
Cook the beef until it is browned, not grey — browning is where the flavour comes from, and a grey, steamed mince makes a dull filling.
Done when: A thick, dark filling that holds together when pressed with a spoon, with the beef cooked through.
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3
Stuff the Peppers
10 Mins
Room temperature
Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spoon the filling into the peppers, pressing it down gently and filling each one to just below the rim — the rice swells a little as it bakes. Stand the peppers upright in the baking dish and pour the 200g of tomato sauce around their bases. Scatter the remaining mozzarella and the parmesan over the top of each pepper, and set the pepper tops back on like lids if you like.
Fill to just below the rim, not heaped above it — rice swells in the oven and an overfilled pepper spills its filling into the sauce.
Done when: Four upright peppers, filled level, standing in tomato sauce with cheese on top.
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4
Bake Covered, Then Uncovered
35 Mins
180°C (350°F)
Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then take the foil off and bake for 15 minutes more, until the peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, the cheese is melted and golden, and the centre of the filling reaches at least 71°C (160°F) on a thermometer.
The foil first is what cooks the peppers through without drying them — uncovered from the start, the tops brown before the peppers soften.
Done when: Tender peppers, golden bubbling cheese, and a filling at least 71°C (160°F) in the centre.
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5
Rest and Serve
5 Mins
Hot, about 75°C (170°F)
Leave the dish to rest for 5 minutes so the filling sets and the peppers hold together when lifted. Serve one pepper per person, hot, spooning some of the tomato sauce from the dish over the top, with white rice and a green salad.
Five minutes of rest is the difference between a pepper that stands up on the plate and one that slumps and spills.
Done when: Hot peppers standing upright, sauce spooned over, ready to serve.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the dish for 5 minutes, then serve one hot pepper per person, spooning the tomato sauce from the baking dish over the top, with white rice and a green salad on the side.
Uruguay
35m
