Recipes
Cajun Bell Peppers with Dirty Rice & Parsley Oil
Pairs Well With
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the parsley oil:
1 cup lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the peppers:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound pork sausage, casing removed
½ medium yellow onion, diced
½ medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small jalapeño pepper, stemmed and diced (seeds removed if you’d like it less spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ cup long grain rice like Jasmine or Basmati
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 large bell peppers (any color)
Preparation
Blend all the parsley oil ingredients in a blender until smooth. Let sit while you make the peppers.
Heat oven to 350°F. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan until it shimmers. Add sausage and break up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the onion, peppers, celery, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Cook for a solid 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Add rice and cook, stirring frequently to keep rice from sticking. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the rice is lightly toasted and is coated in the pan juices.
Stir in broth, cajun seasoning, and dried oregano. Cook until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid and is dry enough to fill the peppers, about 2-3 minutes. Taste (yes the rice will still be a little crunchy) to see if the filling needs more salt or pepper. Stir in ½ of the sliced scallions. Save the other half for garnish. Set filling aside while you prepare the peppers.
Slice each pepper in half vertically keeping the stem intact. Remove the seeds and white ribs of each pepper with a paring knife. Tap out any remaining seeds. Place the peppers in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or baking dish large enough to hold them snug so they don't move around. Season peppers with salt.
Fill each pepper half with filling, pressing it down to fill all the nooks and crannies. Pour enough water in the bottom of the baking dish so it comes up about 1/4 inch on the sides of the peppers (I used 1 cup of water). Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until the rice and peppers are tender. Remove to a serving dish drizzle with parsley oil, sprinkle with remaining sliced scallions. Serve with more parsley oil to pass at the table and enjoy!
From Discover CA Wines, Wine Institute
