Rather than complain ohemgeeit’sbeensohoti’mmelting!, I’m going to talk about my solutions for beating this heat. Lots and lots of iced green teas, sundresses and sandals, subway riding (no 4.5-mile walks home now, thank you), and very light dinners, preferably involving food that can be eaten cold. Salads, quick sautes and chilled soups are my go-to, as is anything that requires minimal heating.
Stuffed peppers aren’t usually on that list. I think of them more as hearty winter food: a heavy, meaty filling that is baked for almost an hour inside a hollowed-out bell pepper, the oven keeping the apartment hot as everything cooks. But after seeing an amazing recipe for tabbouleh on David Lebovitz’s site, I began dreaming of tabbouleh-stuffed peppers. The Lebanese salad of parsley, mint and bulgur, a type of grain, is herbaceous, fresh and light, with a lemony kick. It’s eaten cold, so it would be perfect for my summer palate.
Traditional tabbouleh is more herb-based than bulgur-based, but many versions include a much larger ratio of bulgur, almost like a pilaf. (Un?)Luckily, my aunt had bought a box of pre-mixed tabbouleh a while before, so for these stuffed peppers I used that. Blasphemous for blog purposes, I know, but what’s a girl to do?
If you’re making tabbouleh for stuffed peppers, I would recommend going a little heavy on the bulgur, as it provides more of a meal than the traditional version might. Either way you’ll end up with a delicious, light summer meal, perfect for when the weather hits triple digits. Yes, okay, there’s a wee bit of broiler time, but sometimes a little heat is totally worth it.
Tabbouleh-Stuffed Peppers
– 3 green bell peppers
– 2 cups tabbouleh* (I used a boxed mix, but if you’d like to make it from scratch, this recipe looks amazing. I would recommend using a full cup of bulgur for stuffing purposes)
– 1/2 cup crumbled feta
*I used halved cherry tomatoes rather than diced tomatoes, and added cilantro. I also went very heavy on the lemon, adding a 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the mix.
1) Cut off the tops of the peppers. Cut around the seeds, releasing them from the walls of the pepper, then scoop out the innards. Trim any excess flesh inside the peppers.
2) Place the pepper cups open side up on a lined baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes. Turn them over and broil for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the skin is slightly charred.
3) Scoop the tabbouleh into the pepper cups. Top with the crumbled feta, then broil for an additional 3-5 minutes until the cheese has browned. (My peppers burned slightly because I was very distracted by the Real Housewives of New Jersey.)
Amazing.