Tempeh Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 1⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 large fresh plum tomatoes
- 4 large red bell peppers, tops cut away and seeded
- 1⁄2 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1⁄2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1⁄2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1 pound tempeh (2 8-ounce packages), crumbled
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne
- 10 cloves roasted garlic
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup minced fresh thyme, plus more, for garnish
- Freshly ground white pepper
Instructions:
This recipe is written for four servings but there is enough filling to serve five, simply buy an additional pepper to stuff.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Drain the rice. In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, sauté the rice for about 4 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the rice smells nutty, stirring well with a wooden spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté for 1 additional minute. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes, or until tender and all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, let it stand with the lid on for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the lid and set the rice aside to cool a bit.
- While the rice is cooking, place the tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Broil fairly close to the heat, turning them with tongs once, until they are bubbling and starting to blister, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Set the oven temperature at 350°F.
- Transfer the tomatoes and their juices from the baking sheet to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process in two or three quick pulses; the consistency should be chunky. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 5 quarts water to a boil. In batches, add the red bell peppers and blanch for 1 minute or until just slightly softened. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside upside down in a colander to drain.
- In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining 1⁄ 2 cup olive oil. Add the yellow and red onions and green bell peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Raise the heat to high and add the tempeh, cumin, red pepper flakes, and cayenne and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 more minutes, or until the tempeh starts to brown. Add the roasted garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the rice plus 2 cups of the processed tomatoes (reserve the rest for topping the finished peppers), the red wine vinegar, and thyme and stir well.
- Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and transfer them to a baking dish into which they will fit snugly. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
- Remove from the oven, evenly divide the remaining processed tomatoes by the number of peppers, and top the bell peppers with it. Garnish each pepper with a sprig of thyme and season with white pepper to taste.