Stuffed Italian Frying Peppers (Pimientos de Coconar Rellenos)
Also known as Italian Frying peppers. Cubanelle peppers are large and blocky. They are light green in appearance and they mature red. The thin walls of this pepper make it an excellent choice for frying. This pepper is not hot.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 Tbsp. annatto oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup dried currants
6 cubanelle peppers, all the same size if possible
2 Tbsp. basic recaito
1-1/2 cups converted long-grain rice
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup gandules (green pigeon peas)
2 cups boiling water or chicken stock
1 tsp. black pepper
Instructions:
Heat the annatto oil in a saucepan. Add the recaito, gandules and tomato sauce and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the rice, water, currants and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until the liquid evaporates. Reduce the heat to low and stir. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Cut the peppers on the top and remove any seeds. Stuff each with 3 Tbsp. of the rice mixture. Grease a baking pan with the olive oil. Arrange the peppers in the pan and bake for 40 minutes. Serve each pepper with 1/2 cup of the remaining rice.
Yields 6 servings.