Small Stuffed Peppers With A Tiny Bite

stuffedminipepper1.jpg

Around these parts, we've entered the season for a type of small bell pepper called a poivron petit Marseillais (the little Marseille pepper). Ranging in size from about 2.5 cm (an inch or so) to 5 cm (2 inches) in length, they have thin walls and a slight bite. They are pretty similar to the Padrón pepper from the Spanish town of the same name. While I usually just use the petit Marseillais in stir fries, it's rather fun to stuff the little guys too. They take much less time to cook than their big brothers, and can be cooked on the stovetop rather than heating up the oven - which in the hot summer months is a plus. I can comfortably fit about 30 stuffed pepper halves in a large frying pan. (Note: the little green peppers in the photo are the petit Marsaillais. The red and yellow peppers are no-name chili peppers I got at the supermarket. They worked well too.

You can make this with any sweet or spicy small pepper, as long as it's not too hot. I would not use a habanero (Scotch bonnet) pepper for example, but a mild chili pepper like ancho or jalapeño should work fine. The spiciness of the pepper itself adds a nice bite. In Japan I'd use shishito peppers. If you're using chili-type peppers, just make sure to remove the seeds and the white parts inside.

Because of their mini-size, this works well in bentos (but I'm posting it here since JustBento is still undergoing reconstruction ^_^;. They're also good as appetizers, a main course or as party snacks, although in the last case you may want to serve them on a small napkin or secured with a pick, since the pepper falls easily off the filling.

They are as easy to make as regular stuff peppers really, just a tiny bit more fiddly.

Recipe: Small stuffed peppers

stuffedminipepper2.jpg

A mini-version of the usual stuffed pepper.

Prep time: 15 min :: Cook time: 15 min :: Total time: 30 min

Yield: 30 stuffed pepper halves

Serving size: 3 to 6

Ingredients:

  • 15 small peppers, either sweet peppers or mild chili peppers
  • For the filling:
  • 250 g / about 8 oz ground beef, about 90% lean (10% fat)
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons soft breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons milk or plain yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • a few grinds black pepper
  • a few grates nutmeg
  • -------------
  • cornstarch (corn flour) or potato starch
  • olive oil for cooking
  • chopped parsley (optional)
  • lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

  1. Cut the peppers in half and remove the stem ends. Remove the seeds and the white parts inside.
  2. Mix the filling ingredients together and knead well with your hands, to form a paste like consistency.
  3. Put the pepper halves in a plastic bag with some cornstarch or potato starch. Shake to coat the pepper. When you take the peppers out of the bag, shake off any excess starch flour. (You want the insides to be coated, but not much on the outsides.)
  4. Fill each pepper half with the meat mixture, pressing it in well to eliminate any air holes.
  5. Heat up a large frying pan and add a little olive oil to coat the bottom. Put the stuffed peppers in meat side down. Cook over medium-high heat until the meat surface is browned, then put on a tight fitting lid, turn the heat down to low, and steam-cook the peppers until cooked through and the peppers are tender. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Don't turn the peppers over - there's no need to!
  6. Serve with a little drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of parsley - or with ketchup or Worcestershire sauce if you prefer. These work very well in bentos - freeze a few cooked ones and defrost before packing.

Variations

To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs, or try using 2 tablespoons of cooked plain rice instead of the breadcrumbs. (And use gluten-free cornstarch or potato starch.)

Alternatively, cook the peppers halfway through, and simmer in your favorite tomato sauce.

You can use the mixture to fill regular sized bell peppers. You can fill 4 halves or 2 big bell peppers with this amount. Increase the cooking time to about 15 to 20 minutes with the lid on. There's no need to flip over the big peppers either - the steam in the pan will cook them through nicely.

Use your favorite stuffed pepper filling if you like.

(Metadata below:)

By Makiko Itoh

Published: August 20, 2013

Type: meat, main, bento-friendly

Submitted by maki on 2013-08-20 12:44.
Filed under:  summer bento beef meat

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Comments

anon.

20 August, 2013 - 21:52

Looks like a great idea, but I hope this ingredient was just a typo:
"250 g / about 8 oz ground beef, about 90% fat"

maki

20 August, 2013 - 22:22

Yes it was...corrected now! Thanks!

Anon

21 August, 2013 - 04:00

These look yummy. I like to stuff mine with crabmeat and parm/cheddar or mozzarella but will definitely try these!

anon.

21 August, 2013 - 18:51

I love that you can do this on the stove, even for the regular-size bell peppers. Much more economical when cooking for two. The little peppers look great. Love the shishito peppers!

Miss Mo

1 September, 2013 - 02:08

These were great! I used lean ground pork and added a dash of garlic powder and subbed half of the salt with celery salt. I doubled it because I didn't want to store 1/2 a lb of raw pork. Wrapped the remainder around quartered dried and cornstarch-dusted canned water chestnuts; so good with lemon and parsley. I used whole wheat panko cause that's all I had and they were perfect. Thanks for a great football- watching snack. Roll Tide!

The Elf

3 September, 2013 - 14:49

I made these with some cherry peppers out of our garden. Tasty! And it was so easy to do it on the stove! Next time, I'm going to mix in some parmesan cheese, like I do when I make meatloaf.

David Gamache

10 October, 2013 - 18:36

Just yesterday faced with a whole bag full of those little sweet peppers from the grocery store I was thinking of maybe making ratatouille. Then I stumbled across this recipe and made these right there and then. After browning them well I removed them from the pan and made a tomato sauce in the remaining oil and browned bits using an can of San Marzano tomatoes and a little onion. I returned the peppers to the pan right side up to finish cooking, spooning the sauce over them. Then I placed them in a ceramic baking dish, covered them with freshly grated parmesan cheese and into the toaster oven on broil. They are really good. The dusting of cornstarch is a brilliant idea, it acts like a glue and keeps the filling from falling out. Also being able to make them on the stovetop is helpful as I don't have an oven at the moment. I just spent all my money at the Asian market and am starting on some of your other recipes. Marinating some chicken thighs in miso today. Wish me luck!

Alicia

17 October, 2013 - 13:58

First of all, I really enjoy reading this blog with all the interesting recipes and texts! I love japanese food since my last vacation. The small stuffed peppers look super delicious, I can't wait to try the recipe. I just hope, they're not too hot, because my familiy doesn't like eating hot food ;).

Christine@Freeb...

10 February, 2016 - 18:00

These peppers look amazing! I have a dinner party planned in the near future and was looking for some great h'orderves to serve. I know that my guests will love these and I can't wait to try them. Thank you so much for this recipe!