Alright, so I haven't made it to Romania in almost 3 years now and I have not seen my mom since the summer of 2007 when I was pregnant with Audrey....which inevitably means that I have been missing "home" and my family and the food that I grew up with.
Today I was particulary missing this one dish that I remember growing up on and never quite appreciating but thinking back it's one of the dishes that I most remember...the one that is quite simply so comforting. And to think that it is so incredibly easy to make and yet I never really made it until that summer of 2007 when I made it with my mom for the very first time. I have such sweet memories of her being here and
helping us with Audrey when she was just born...She was so little and so temperamental and I remember feeling quite overwhelmed knowing I also had an 11 month old at the time. Well, my mom made it incredibly easy on us and she woke up to feed Audrey every single night for the first 3 months of her life...I had no idea how she could do it all...help me with both girls during the day...help me clean and cook and also watch my newborn during those months...All I can say is I found a whole new appreciation for her and God only knows how much I miss her and how much I love her...
So in her honor today I decided to make this dish..."Aurica's Stuffed Bell Peppers" and it is sooo simple and comforting....
Ingredients:
8 red or yellow bell peppers (or a combination of both)
1 pkg ground beef
½ cup of rice
6 oz. can of tomato paste
1 tbs salt
1 teaspoon of peper
1 medium onion
Directions:
Start by sautéing the onion in a little bit of olive oil. When the onion is translucent )but not brown) turn the stove off and mix the raw ground beef. In a separate pot, bring a little bit of water to boil and cook the rice in it just for about 10 minutes or so until it fluffs up a bit. Drain the rice and then mix with the rest of the onion, beef, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
Cut the tops off the bell peppers and clean the insides of them and then start stuffing them with the meat mixture. Don’t overstuff them. You want to give the rice enough room to cook. When you’re done stuffing the peppers take either slices of tomato or potato and use them as “lids” to cover the peppers. Put the peppers in a large pot and cover with water or chicken stock. Sometimes I use a combination of chicken stock and tomato juice.
Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for about 2 hours.
Pofta Buna! Bon Appetit! Enjoy!
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