Recipes

By Times staff

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2000

Stuffed Peppers

• 12 green bell peppers
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 28-ounce can tomato sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice off the stem end of peppers and reserve for another use. Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers and rinse peppers inside and out.

To parboil, use the microwave as follows. Place 4 peppers at a time face down on a dinner plate, cover with a microwave cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining peppers. Place peppers face up in a baking dish just large enough to accommodate all 12 peppers.

Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet with onion and garlic. Drain off fat. Add rice, half of tomato sauce, salt and pepper; stir and heat until well combined. Quickly stir in the cheese.

Fill each pepper with the beef mixture. Pour the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the peppers and cover the baking dish tightly. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Makes 12.

-- Source: http://www.busycooks.about.com.

Bacon Mushroom Swiss Meatloaf

• 12 ounces bacon, diced
• 4 medium white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk or half & half
• 6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and cool. Remove all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet and saute the mushrooms and onions until tender. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix the beef, egg and milk. Add the mushroom/onion mixture, all but a few spoonfuls of the Swiss cheese and all but one tablespoons of the bacon bits. Add the corn flake crumbs and mix well until blended. Shape into a loaf and place in a large loaf pan.

Bake for about an hour or until cooked through. Drain fat from the pan and sprinkle the reserved cheese and bacon on top. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serves 4-6.

-- Source: http://www.busycooks.about.com.

Yellow Squash Casserole

• 5 pounds medium-sized yellow squash
• 4 ounces butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs plus some for topping
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Salt to taste
• Dash pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut tips off squash and cut each into 3-4 pieces. Drop squash into a large saucepan with enough boiling water to cover. Return to boil, reduce heat and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in colander, return to pan with butter and mash until mostly smooth.

Add eggs, bread crumbs, onion, sugar, salt, and pepper. Turn into greased 3-quart casserole. Sprinkle with a light layer of bread crumbs.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 12-16.

-- Source: http://www.busycooks.about.com.

Caramelized Pork Carnitas

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon tequila
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 green onion with top, sliced

Place pork cubes in single layer in a skillet. Top with remaining ingredients, except for green onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until water has evaporated and the pork is slightly caramelized, about 35 minutes.

To serve as an appetizer, sprinkle with green onion and serve with wooden picks.

To serve as a main dish, serve with rice or roll into a tortilla and garnish with lettuce, tomato, sour cream.

Serves 10 as an appetizer, 6 as a main dish.

-- Source: http://www.busycooks.about.com.

Rosemary Pork

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
• 1 pound pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the onions, garlic and rosemary. Mix well. Add the pork and stir to coat.

Coat a 10-inch non-stick skillet with vegetable spray and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork mixture. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the pork is browned. Transfer the pork mixture to a plate.

Add the stock to the skillet. Bring to a boil and scrape the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Add the cabbage, carrots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the apple juice, salt, pepper and pork mixture. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink in the center. Check by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into one cube.

Serve over rice, garnished with scallions. Serves 4.

-- Source: http://www.busycooks.about.com.

Pizza Meat Pie

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet. Lay crescent rolls so that they overlap into 9- or 10-inch pie plate to make crust. Drain beef and mix well with the rest of the ingredients except cheese. Place in pie shell. Layer the top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 6.

-- Source: Linda Duart, Garden Crest Presbyterian Church, St. Petersburg.

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger

• 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 large russet, potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large yam (red-skinned sweet potato), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled, cubed
• 2 cups broccoli florets (from about 1 large stalk)
• 1 large celery stalk with leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken

Bring chicken broth to simmer in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add potato, yam, onion, carrots, broccoli, celery and ginger and bring to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium and simmer soup until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender just to chunky texture. Return soup to pot. Add corn and cooked chicken and simmer until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 6.

-- Source: "Bon Appetit" magazine, June 1996.

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