Stuffed Mushrooms

November 23, 2009 by Susan

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is here already! Shocking how time flies; one minute you are applying sunscreen, then next you are planning Thanksgiving dinner. Sort of. Anyway, I’ve got myself a new favorite side dish, one that would be perfect on any Thanksgiving table. Stuffed mushrooms!

One word sufficiently describes these babies. Superb. Truly, they are delicious. My fiance actually rolled his eyes back into his head during his first bite. They are that good.

I saw Ina make these the other day and just had to try them. She never disappoints! I made a few slight changes to her recipe (added thyme, decreased amount of mascarpone). Very yummy and very hearty. A few big stuffed mushrooms can hold their own for a light lunch, for sure.

One of my favorite things about these mushrooms is that you can make them ahead. Stuff them, put them in a baking dish, cover and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. Or, store the filling in the fridge and just stuff the mushrooms as needed and pop in the oven. Works really well during the week when you are short on time and energy and need just a little something to go with that piece of chicken or steak.

If you think your turkey can stand not being the center of attention this Thanksgiving, go ahead and give these mushrooms a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s what you will need to make approximately 25 medium/large stuffed mushrooms…

Recipe

25 medium/large white mushrooms, cleaned

3/4 pound sausage (remove from casing)

4-5 scallions, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup panko (bread crumbs)

3 oz mascarpone (roughly 1/3 of a container)

1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped thyme

2.5 tbsp marsala

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Clean mushroom caps with a damp paper towel, put in a large bowl. Add marsala and 3 tbsp olive oil and mix to coat all mushrooms. Put aside.

In a large skillet add a few tablespoons of olive oil, when hot add sausage and cook until just browned, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Meanwhile, chop mushroom stems and then add to the sausage. Add scallions, garlic and panko and thyme. Mix to combine and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat, add mascarpone, parmigiano cheese, parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well until the mascarpone has fully melted into the sausage mixture. Allow to cool slightly.

Now comes the time to stuff these guys. Be careful, the mushrooms will be somewhat slippery to handle due to the marsala and olive oil. Just take your time. Stuff each mushroom well, mounding the tops with the delicious filling. Pack the filling down slightly. Place each stuffed mushroom in the baking dish. Pop in the oven, uncovered, and bake for approximately 40 minutes. As an added touch, I sometimes like to turn the broiler on for a minute or two towards the end of the cooking time. This helps to brown the tops nicely, creating a bit of a an extra crunch on top. If you do this, do not leave the stove, watch it carefully. One or two minutes is enough, you don’t want to burn them!

Have I mentioned how delicious these are?

HeadOfLineR

Stuffed Mushrooms

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

25 medium/large white mushrooms, cleaned
¾ pound sausage (remove from casing)
4-5 scallions, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
⅔ cup panko (bread crumbs)
3 oz mascarpone (roughly ⅓ of a container)
⅓ cup parmigiano reggiano
½ cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped thyme
2.5 tbsp marsala
3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Clean mushroom caps with a damp paper towel, put in a large bowl. Add marsala and 3 tbsp olive oil and mix to coat all mushrooms. Put aside.
In a large skillet add a few tablespoons of olive oil, when hot add sausage and cook until just browned, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Meanwhile, chop mushroom stems and then add to the sausage. Add scallions, garlic and panko and thyme. Mix to combine and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat, add mascarpone, parmigiano cheese, parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well until the mascarpone has fully melted into the sausage mixture. Allow to cool slightly.
Now comes the time to stuff these guys. Be careful, the mushrooms will be somewhat slippery to handle due to the marsala and olive oil. Just take your time. Stuff each mushroom well, mounding the tops with the delicious filling. Pack the filling down slightly. Place each stuffed mushroom in the baking dish. Pop in the oven, uncovered, and bake for approximately 40 minutes. As an added touch, I sometimes like to turn the broiler on for a minute or two towards the end of the cooking time. This helps to brown the tops nicely, creating a bit of a an extra crunch on top. If you do this, do not leave the stove, watch it carefully. One or two minutes is enough, you don't want to burn them!

Stuffed Cabbage

October 6, 2009 by Susan

Now that there is a slight chill back in the air I immediately start thinking of comfort food dishes. This stuffed cabbage recipe certainly fits the bill. I made it a few times last year and have now arrived at the perfect combination of ingredients for this recipe. Perfect for me, that is! Not sure how much weight that carries considering I’m Italian and this is a Polish/Hungarian dish. On that note, I will mention that my fiance is Ukranian and absolutely loves them!

Rolling up the leaves does require some time. I happen to love doing it, I find it fun. As you will see from the recipe below, this makes roughly 20 rolls! Since it’s just the two of us, we can eat this for dinner twice during the week as well as bring them for lunch almost everyday. So that’s what we’ve been doing. And no, we’re not sick of them yet!

To be honest, they get better as the days go on.

Here’s what you will need to serve 6-8 people (roughly 20 cabbage rolls)…

Recipe

1 large dutch oven

Savoy Cabbage – 2 medium or large heads

Meat Mixture:

2 lbs chop meat (sirloin & pork)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup parsley

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt & pepper

Sauce

2 28 oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes

2 cans low-sodium tomato juice (soda can size)

2 large spanish onions, sliced

>water

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Method

The cabbage: There are 2 ways you can tackle the head of cabbage. First option is to remove the core (I find this difficult to do) and place the entire head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water. As the leaves soften they will start to break away from the head. With tongs gently remove each leaf, one at a time, as it softens. Lay on a tray to cool.

The other method is to turn the cabbage upside down and gently cut eat piece off near the core. Once you slice through the first leaf, gently pull the leaf away from the head of cabbage. Place each leaf in a large pot of boiling water until softened. Lay on a tray to cool.

For the sauce, pour the whole, peeled tomatoes into a food processor and pulse until broken up. Pour into a bowl and add the cans of tomato juice. Add salt & pepper to taste.

To make the meat mixture, simply add the brown rice, onions, garlic, parsley and 1-2 ladles of the sauce to the chop meat and mix well. I like to use a combination of sirloin and pork for the filling. You can always add veal to this as well.

Now for the fun part. Assembling! Ok, lay one cabbage leaf down and cut the end portion of the core out. Place a small palmful of meat onto the leaf and roll. I like to fold the sides in first and then roll up. It’s best to use all the large leaves from the cabbage, it gets difficult to roll the smaller ones. That’s why I suggest to buy 2 heads of cabbage.

In the bottom of a large dutch oven place one layer of flat cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly. Spread some sliced onions over the cabbage leaves. Lay each stuffed cabbage roll, seam side down, in a single layer, on top of the onions. Pour a few ladles of sauce over the cabbages. Place another layer of sliced onions. Now for the 2nd layer, go ahead and place the rolled up cabbages in another single layer, pour a few ladles of sauce over the cabbages, now some more onions. You get the picture. Continue until all your stuffed cabbages are in the pot. I usually get 3 layers in my big pot. This is what my 2nd layer looked like…

Let me take a moment here to state how much I love this red Le Creuset pot (above). Love. Cooks soups, stews and stuffed cabbage like a dream. Cleans beautifully. Love. Ok, moving on…

Pour any and all remaining sauce over the top of the last layer. If all cabbages are not submerged in liquid, add water to the pot until they are submerged. If you have any leftover cabbage, you can thinly slice (shred) some leaves and place on top of the rolls. Place a lid on the pot and put in the oven. Bake for roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

Low. And. Slow. Then, you will be rewarded with this…

Stuffed Cabbage

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

1 large dutch oven
Savoy Cabbage - 2 medium or large heads
Meat Mixture:
2 lbs chop meat (sirloin & pork)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 egg
¼ cup parsley
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt & pepper
Sauce
2 28 oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
2 cans low-sodium tomato juice (soda can size)
2 large spanish onions, sliced
>water
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Method

The cabbage: There are 2 ways you can tackle the head of cabbage. First option is to remove the core (I find this difficult to do) and place the entire head of cabbage in a large pot of boiling water. As the leaves soften they will start to break away from the head. With tongs gently remove each leaf, one at a time, as it softens. Lay on a tray to cool.
The other method is to turn the cabbage upside down and gently cut eat piece off near the core. Once you slice through the first leaf, gently pull the leaf away from the head of cabbage. Place each leaf in a large pot of boiling water until softened. Lay on a tray to cool.
For the sauce, pour the whole, peeled tomatoes into a food processor and pulse until broken up. Pour into a bowl and add the cans of tomato juice. Add salt & pepper to taste.
To make the meat mixture, simply add the brown rice, onions, garlic, parsley and 1-2 ladles of the sauce to the chop meat and mix well. I like to use a combination of sirloin and pork for the filling. You can always add veal to this as well.
Lay one cabbage leaf down and cut the end portion of the core out. Place a small palmful of meat onto the leaf and roll. I like to fold the sides in first and then roll up. It's best to use all the large leaves from the cabbage, it gets difficult to roll the smaller ones. That's why I suggest to buy 2 heads of cabbage.
In the bottom of a large dutch oven place one layer of flat cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly. Spread some sliced onions over the cabbage leaves. Lay each stuffed cabbage roll, seam side down, in a single layer, on top of the onions. Pour a few ladles of sauce over the cabbages. Place another layer of sliced onions. Now for the 2nd layer, go ahead and place the rolled up cabbages in another single layer, pour a few ladles of sauce over the cabbages, now some more onions.
Pour any and all remaining sauce over the top of the last layer. If all cabbages are not submerged in liquid, add water to the pot until they are submerged. If you have any leftover cabbage, you can thinly slice (shred) some leaves and place on top of the rolls. Place a lid on the pot and put in the oven. Bake for roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

Stuffed Potatoes

June 29, 2009 by Susan

It’s 4th of July week (already?!) and everyone is preparing for BBQ’s. And praying for good weather, considering it’s rained practically every day this month. Awful! Well, keeping positive, here’s a post on delicious stuffed potatoes that are just perfect for a summer BBQ – rain or shine.

I’ve been making these stuffed cuties for a few years now and every time I do people rave about them. They are delicious and the perfect one or two bite appetizer. Basically, they are stuffed little red potatoes. The filling is creamy with a slight sharpness in the background from the blue cheese. If you don’t love blue cheese, cut back on how much you include. I usually don’t use the entire 1 cup, I add a little at a time and taste.

When making them, allow for 3-4 halves (2 potatoes) per person, at least. They will be devoured.

Here’s what you will need to serve approximately 10-12 people…

Recipe

24 new red potatoes, halved lengthwise

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I end up using 3/4 cup usually)

1/2 cup crumbled, cooked bacon, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup (heaping) chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

1/4 red onion, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the potato halves with olive oil and mix well until each half is coated. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp and the potatoes are tender, roughly 30 minutes. The original recipe states 20-25 minutes, but in my oven it takes more like 30-40 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool.

Gently scoop out the center of each potato half and place in a medium bowl. Using a small ice cream scoop or melon baller is sometimes helpful for this step. You do not need to make yourself nuts getting all the potato out of the skin, some can remain inside. Actually, it’s best if some does remain inside, it will make the potato boats more sturdy. To the bowl add the sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, parsley and onion. Stir to mix together.

Fill each potato skin with the sour cream mixture and top each potato with more bacon, onion and parsley.

This recipe is adapted from the Grucci family.

Stuffed Potatoes

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

24 new red potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cup sour cream
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I end up using ¾ cup usually)
½ cup crumbled, cooked bacon, plus more for garnish
⅓ cup (heaping) chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
¼ red onion, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the potato halves with olive oil and mix well until each half is coated. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp and the potatoes are tender, roughly 30 minutes. The original recipe states 20-25 minutes, but in my oven it takes more like 30-40 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool.
Gently scoop out the center of each potato half and place in a medium bowl. Using a small ice cream scoop or melon baller is sometimes helpful for this step. You do not need to make yourself nuts getting all the potato out of the skin, some can remain inside. Actually, it's best if some does remain inside, it will make the potato boats more sturdy. To the bowl add the sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, parsley and onion. Stir to mix together.
Fill each potato skin with the sour cream mixture and top each potato with more bacon, onion and parsley.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

February 10, 2009 by Susan

I have been making these stuffed shells for the past few years, they are a permanant fixture in my recipe book. I make them every year for my Mother’s Day dinner that I host for my family and everyone raves about them. They aren’t your run-of-the-mill stuffed shells at all, they are stuffed with turkey and artichokes, which makes them not only delicious, but more hearty. You have meat, vegetables and pasta all in one dish!

These shells are made extra special because they are served in an Arrabiata Sauce, providing a subtle kick to the dish. The sauce is easy enough to make and if you have any leftovers you can serve it over some other pasta on a night you don’t really feel like cooking.

Another great aspect of these shells…you can prepare them a day ahead and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. Also, you can freeze them. Oh, and if that isn’t good enough, they get even better as leftovers. I’ve had leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and they are even more delicious than the first day!

I got this recipe from Giada’s show years ago and only made a few slight changes. My version is below.

Here’s what you will need to serve 6-8 people…

Recipe

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 teaspoon peperoncino (red pepper flakes)

1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped

1 – 2 (15-ounce) container(s) ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (heaping) chopped fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 cups shredded or grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and peperoncino and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with one 15 oz container ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Note: If you want to make some extra shells you can add extra ricotta cheese to this mixture to bulk it up. I usually make a box and a half of shells, so I add in about half of another container of ricotta.

Now here comes the fun part…stuffing the shells! Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce (recipe below). Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey and cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full. Drizzle Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the mozzarella. As you will see I don’t glob on the mozzerella cheese, but that’s just me. If you want to glob it on, go right ahead.

If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown and the sauce is bubbling away, about 20 minutes (60 minutes if shells are frozen.)

Arrabiata Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces sliced pancetta (sliced thick), coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Giada’s original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-and-artichoke-stuffed-shells-with-arrabbiata-sauce-recipe/index.html

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus ½ teaspoon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus ¼ teaspoon
1 teaspoon peperoncino (red pepper flakes)
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 - 2 (15-ounce) container(s) ricotta cheese
¾ cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup (heaping) chopped fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1½ cups shredded or grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)
Arrabiata Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sliced pancetta (sliced thick), coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups fresh marinara sauce

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and peperoncino and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with one 15 oz container ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Note: If you want to make some extra shells you can add extra ricotta cheese to this mixture to bulk it up. I usually make a box and a half of shells, so I add in about half of another container of ricotta.
Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce (recipe below). Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey and cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full. Drizzle Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the mozzarella. As you will see I don't glob on the mozzerella cheese, but that's just me. If you want to glob it on, go right ahead.
If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.
To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown and the sauce is bubbling away, about 20 minutes (60 minutes if shells are frozen.)
Arrabiata Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

October 15, 2008 by Susan

I had no idea how nutritious red peppers are! They are an excellent source of vitamins C and A and they contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals (bad things) that cause some types of cancers and heart disease. Surprisingly, red peppers contain almost three times the amount of vitamin C as green peppers. Poor green peppers, they just aren’t up to snuff.

Traditionally, stuffed peppers are made with chop meat. I do make the meat version at times, however, I like to keep things on the healthy side over here, so I try to make it with mostly veggies now, or sometimes I will add some ground turkey. All versions are delicious. I like to bring a stuffed pepper with me to work for lunch, and since I make 4 or 5 of them I eat one a day, everyday for lunch that week. And NO, I don’t get sick of it! They are so delicious, healthy and filling. A complete meal stuffed inside a nutritionally packed red pepper. What more could I ask for?

Here’s what you will need to make approximately 6 peppers…

Recipe

4 large red peppers

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 large zucchini, small dice

1 large yellow squash, small dice

1 large onion

1 small container crimini mushrooms, small dice

1 can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed up

1/2 cup chopped baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

pinch dried oregano

pinch pepperoncino

olive oil

Method

In a skillet over medium heat coat pan with some olive oil. Saute the zucchini, squash, onion and mushrooms until slightly softened, roughly 5 minutes. Add grated garlic, spinach, oregano and pepperoncino and some salt & pepper. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

While the filling is simmering away, carefully cut out the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. It helps to have small hands! I usually discard the tops, but once or twice I did keep them and put them back on top of the peppers for decoration, like little hats. Up to you.

Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well again. I’ll tell you, this sauce (minus the rice) would be perfect over some pasta! Here’s how things should be looking at this point.

Now for the fun part…stuffing! I love stuffing these guys. I use a teaspoon for this. Basically just stuff the filling mixture into each pepper, pressing the filling down into the bottom of the pepper. Fill them way up to the top. Just like this…

In the bottom of a baking dish, I put some water and oil (and some tomato sauce if I have some left over) to keep things moist. Arrange the now stuffed peppers in the baking dish and sprinkle the tops of the peppers with some olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 – 60 minutes, or until the peppers have become slightly wrinkly and soft. I prefer my peppers to still have a slight bite to them. Some people like to cook them alot until they are very mushy, again – up to you. As I said, I like mine with a bite, not too mushy.

Get stuffing people!

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

4 large red peppers
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 large zucchini, small dice
1 large yellow squash, small dice
1 large onion
1 small container crimini mushrooms, small dice
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed up
½ cup chopped baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, grated
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
pinch dried oregano
pinch pepperoncino
olive oil

Method

In a skillet over medium heat coat pan with some olive oil. Saute the zucchini, squash, onion and mushrooms until slightly softened, roughly 5 minutes. Add grated garlic, spinach, oregano and pepperoncino and some salt & pepper. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
While the filling is simmering away, carefully cut out the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. It helps to have small hands! I usually discard the tops, but once or twice I did keep them and put them back on top of the peppers for decoration, like little hats. Up to you.
Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well again.
Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well again.
Now for the fun part...stuffing! I use a teaspoon for this. Basically just stuff the filling mixture into each pepper, pressing the filling down into the bottom of the pepper. Fill them way up to the top.
In the bottom of a baking dish, I put some water and oil (and some tomato sauce if I have some left over) to keep things moist. Arrange the now stuffed peppers in the baking dish and sprinkle the tops of the peppers with some olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 - 60 minutes, or until the peppers have become slightly wrinkly and soft.