Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

Lean ground turkey has become a staple in lots of households, and consequently, so has the fear of eating lean ground turkey. But peppers are a magical thing: they infuse the ground turkey stuffing with a juicy aromatic goodness that makes you wanna give your partner a wedgie. Not just any ol’ wedgie though, one of my patented snap-back wedgies. Let me explain: first you roll down the top of the underwear a few times, and then yank them up into a wedgie. The rolled-down underwear confuses your partner, making them immediately try to roll their underwear back up, further wedgifying themselves. Oh yes. This is a great dish.

Servings: 4 – Easy

Grocery List:

5 red or orange bell peppers
2 cups San Marzano plum tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp raw sugar
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb ground turkey
2 carrots , grated
2 zucchini, grated

Gear:

Small pot
Sieve
Medium mixing bowl
Large frying pan
Deep baking dish

TOMATO-PEPPER SAUCE

Roughly chop 1 red bell pepper, and cook in a small pot of boiling water for 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and puree. Sieve the pureed pepper with the pureed tomatoes into a bowl. Season with the sea salt, raw sugar, and freshly cracked pepper. Set aside.

PEPPERS

Slice the top off of 4 bell peppers; reserve the tops, and remember which top goes with which pepper. Remove the seeds and pith from the inside of the peppers.

TURKEY STUFFING

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onions for 12 minutes, until slightly browned. Add the ground turkey and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Stir in the grated carrots, zucchini, and 1/2 cup of tomato pepper sauce, and take it off the heat.

SHKIAFFING IT TOGETHER

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the peppers in a deep baking dish, and spoon in the stuffing. Pour 1 tablespoon of tomato pepper sauce over the exposed stuffing and crown each pepper with its matching top. Pour the rest of the tomato pepper sauce into the bottom of the baking dish, and bake for 1 hour covered, and another 30 minutes uncovered.

Excerpted from Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen: Cookin’ for Trouble by Nadia G Copyright © 2011 by Nadia G. Photographs Copyright © 2011 by Ryan Szulc. Excerpted by permission of Ballantine Books, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.