Grandma's Plněné Papriky (Stuffed Peppers)

My apologies go out to my handful of faithful followers for taking such a long break following the big Christmas cookie push back in December.  My grandmother and I were (understandably) exhausted and needed a break, but it's been way too long, I know!  But I'm happy to be back blogging once again, with one of my grandmother's best recipes: stuffed peppers!  By Czech standards, this is health food, with vegetables and everything!  You will need:

3-4 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, minced
500g (1/2 lb) ground meat, usually beef
100g (1/2 c.) arborio rice
1 egg (optional, not pictured)
6 red and green peppers
salt and pepper
1 jar tomato sauce (suggested: vodka sauce)

Mince your onion.  Heat the oil and fry the onion until more browned than rosy, 7-10 minutes.

Add the meat and mash with a wooden spoon, breaking it apart.

Sauté until cooked through, plus an extra few minutes. Add a generous 1/2 tsp of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. When meat is done, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Separately, boil 1/2 c. water and add the arborio rice. Cook, uncovered at a low boil until half-cooked, about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the peppers by slicing off the tops and removing the insides and seeds.

Mix the half-cooked rice and optional egg (not pictured) into the cooked meat.

Gently stuff your peppers until they are nearly full.

Take a large, heavy-bottomed, high-sided pot and spread a little sauce in the bottom.

Put the peppers, filling side down, into the bottom of the pan and cover with the rest of the sauce. They should be tightly packed enough to remain upright. But they will shrink while cooking!

Bring to a boil, then cook on a medium-low flame for about 28 minutes.

Carefully flip the peppers, trying not to lose the filling. I recommend wedging a spoon under them before flipping, to hold everything in.  Cook another 30 minutes on a low simmer.

Serve the peppers hot, covered in tomato sauce.  Or if you like, serve with even more rice (or use less rice in your filling - up to you)!

This wacky arrangement is courtesy of my grandmother's old Czech cookbook, Velka Kuchařka (1969).  Lots of creative platings in there!