Cooking with Sweet and Hot Chile Peppers

Easy Italian-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers & Cocoa Beef Stew

© Brigette Zavala

Jan 5, 2009

Whether you like your peppers hot or sweet, in Asian or Mexican dishes, and cooked or raw, there is a wide variety to choose from for a multitude of dishes.

With their brilliant colors and unique shapes, peppers entice. Cooks across the world incorporate peppers into regional cuisines, turning what would otherwise be ordinary dishes into extraordinary dishes.

In Mexico, peppers such as ancho, California, jalapeno, pasilla, poblano, and serrano are used to enhance the flavors of everyday foods. While in India, banana, cherry, habanera, sweet Japanese Shishito, and Thai peppers are used. The list of peppers used in countries all over the world compare and contrast, as do the dishes that have peppers listed in the ingredients.

Here are two recipes using peppers. One uses the common sweet bell pepper while the other uses the fiery hot Scotch bonnet pepper.

Easy Italian-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers, tops removed and peppers seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups cooked long grain rice
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place peppers in a large pot of boiling water; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove peppers from pot; place upside down on paper towels (to drain).
4. Add olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking ground beef up with the back of a spoon.
5. Add oregano and onion to skillet; stir to combine.
6. Reduce heat then add cooked rice; stir to combine. Salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Add 1 cup spaghetti sauce; simmer for 5 minutes then remove skillet from heat.
8. Evenly divide filling between bell peppers; place stuffed peppers in a baking dish.
9. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce atop peppers then sprinkle peppers with mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
11. SERVES 6

Cocoa Beef Stew

Ingredients

• ¾ pound beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can beef broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ¼ teaspoon seeded and finely minced Scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sliced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup cut (peeled) sweet potato (1-inch cubes)
• 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup water
• 2 cups cooked rice

Preparation

1. Place beef in a bowl then lightly season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cinnamon then toss to combine.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and quickly brown on all sides.
3. Carefully add beef broth, onion, ginger, Scotch bonnet pepper, and cocoa powder; stir to combine. Bring to boiling then reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.
4. Add carrots, sweet potato, and celery to saucepan. Bring to boiling then reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables and meat are tender, about 25 minutes.
5. Whisk together cornstarch and water; add to stew. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened; reduce heat and cook 2 more minutes.
6. Serve stew over rice.
7. SERVES 6

Peppers

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