Saffron Rice-Stuffed Peppers

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Here are some musings on the lowly hamburger assembled by our friend
Rosemary Zwick in Cape Town, South Africa:

Sacred cows make the best hamburger. - Mark Twain

You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a
navigator uses stars.... We have munched Bridge burgers in the shadow of
the Brooklyn Bridge and Cable burgers hard by the Golden Gate, Dixie
burgers in the sunny South and Yankee Doodle burgers in the North.... We
had a Capitol Burger - guess where. And so help us, in the inner
courtyard of the Pentagon, a Penta burger. - Charles Kuralt

It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger,
and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken
to "le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire." - Julia Child

Mother Nature clearly intended for us to get our food from the "patty"
group, which includes hamburgers, fish sticks, and McNuggets - foods
that have had all of their organs safely removed. - Dave Barry

Today the biggest decisions I make aren't related to the heavyweight
title. They are whether I visit McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, or
Jack-in-the-Box. - George Foreman

Anybody who doesn't think that the best hamburger place in the world is
in his home town is a sissy. - Calvin Trillin

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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You can use any color bell pepper in this recipe, but I think the red
pepper and the yellow rice make a color combination that is particularly pleasing to the eye.

Saffron Rice-Stuffed Peppers

2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil
4 scallions (spring onions), green and white parts, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed saffron threads
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) long-grain white rice
2 cups (500 ml) water or chicken stock
2 cups (500 ml) shredded provolone cheese
1/3 cup (80 ml) toasted pine nuts (pignoli)
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped parsley plus additional for garnish
2 Tbs (30 ml) chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2-3 large red bell peppers (capsicums), halved lengthwise, cored, and seeded

Heat the oil in a pot over moderate heat and saute the scallions and
garlic until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the saffron and
rice and stir to coat the rice with the oil. Add the water, bring to a
boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Remove from the
heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork
and add the provolone, pine nuts, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper.
Place the pepper halves in a baking dish and spoon the rice mixture into
them, mounding the tops. Add about 1 cup of water to the bottom of the
baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated
350F (180C) oven until heated through, about 30 minutes. Garnish with
chopped parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Feb 7 02:28:47 2008