Ingredients:

4 bell peppers, squat and that can stand by themselves, tops cut off, seeds and veins cleaned out.

For the Stuffing:

• 1 cup of wild rice
• 1/2 cup of Wheat Berries or Pearl Barley
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 pound of ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Ancho Chile powder
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

For the Sauce:

• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 4 fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Ancho Chile powder
• 1 smoked chipotle (or to taste)
• A Cinnamon Stick
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Process:

For the Stuffing:

Cook the wild rice, wheat berries, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in the chicken stock.  You may need to add a little more  to make sure the rice cooks al-dente.  Salt lightly.

In a skillet with a little olive oil cook the onion until it’s transparent, add the garlic and cook for a minute more.  Sauté the ground turkey until it cooks through, add the parsley, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper to taste.  When the meat is ready, add about half a can of the stewed tomatoes.  This will make the stuffing juicier.  When the rice is ready, fold gently into the meat.  Adjust seasonings.

For the Sauce:

While the meat and rice are cooking, put the remaining can and a half of stewed tomatoes in a blender with the fresh tomatoes cut in fourths, onion, garlic, the smoked chipotle, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until pureed.  Heat a little olive oil in the skillet and saute the sauce and let it simmer for a little while with the cinnamon stick.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the Peppers:

Put a lot of stuffing into each pepper and place the top cap loosely on.  Place the peppers carefully into the simmering sauce and simmer until the peppers are cooked through.  Make sure they don’t overcook and they still hold their shape.

To Serve:

Take a stuffed pepper, put it on a plate, take the cap off and grate parmesan cheese on it.  Ladle enough sauce over and around the bell pepper and serve.

Notes:

This is a very good recipe and can be adapted as necessary.  The ingredients are more like guidelines and feel free to replace seasonings to your taste.  The cinnamon stick gives the tomato sauce a very interesting flavor and it really completes the dish.  The wheat berries add a nice crunch.

I have used the same stuffing with hollowed-out zucchini (green and yellow) but the sky is the limit!