My big fat Greek dinner! This recipe was so colorful, it made me smile to see it plated so prettily. Usually, peppers are stuffed with meat, rice and sauce, making a heavy dinner that's better suited for cold weather. These stuffed peppers were light yet flavorful and surprisingly filling!
The one downside to this recipe is that it's a wee bit complicated. The Yiddish word is "ungapatchka", which means that it's busy, ornate, fussy, etc. I used about 5 different dishes in the prep work, creating a whole sink of dirty pots and pans. Maybe if I hadn't been so tired, I could have thought it through to make the process more streamlined, but I was cooking on auto-pilot last night.
However, the end product is well worth it! My changes are noted in the recipe below.
Opa!
Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers
adapted from Eating Well
Ingredients:
4 yellow, orange and/or red bell peppers
1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped (I used 10oz frozen, chopped spinach - defrosted and drained)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), chopped
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached. Remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers cut-side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are just softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, chickpeas, 1/2 cup feta, tomatoes, vinegar and salt; cook until heated though, about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle each pepper with some of the remaining 1/4 cup feta.
July 27, 2011
Opa!
Posted by Beth at 2:36 PM
Labels: dinner, vegetarian
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