Ground Beef
stuffed tomatoes & peppers (the other way)
- Serves 4-5
Author Notes
This recipe is a tribute to my grandfather on my mother’s side.
I think that he created it based on a traditional greek recipe.
My grandfather, a handsome man, widowed too young, at the age of 42 when my grandmother passed away at the age of 33.
She suddenly died leaving him alone with seven kids.
Yes, when that tragedy happened they already had seven children, five girls and two boys, of which the oldest was 14 years old.
Given that he never remarried, he had to take care of his children all alone.
I don’t know how good cook he was before the loss of his wife, but after her death he became an excellent one.
At that time he was working as civil servant, but eventually he quit his job and opened a small cafe next to his home. I suppose that this allowed him to take better care of his children.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember him at all. I was three years old when he died.
I do not also know if somewhere in Greece someone cooks this dish, even in the same area where my grandfather had lived.
?one of those to whom I have spoken about this recipe does know it.
So, this recipe is something that passes like a heritage through the generations in our family.
However, the fact is that as many times as I’ve cooked the dish for friends, may no one of them knows it, but everyone loves it. —Lena Grp
Ingredients
-
5
medium ripe tomatoes
-
5
medium green peppers
-
1 pound
or 500 grams lean ground beef
-
1/2 cup
white long grain rice
-
1
medium/large finely chopped onion
-
1/3
bunch chopped parsley
-
2 tablespoons
margarine
-
2
eggs
-
1
lemon (juice)
-
salt & pepper
Directions
- Wash tomatoes and peppers. Cut the tops of tomatoes. Do not throw the tops. Using a spoon scoop out pulp and seeds. Set the pulp aside. Place tomatoes up side down on paper towel. Cut the tops of peppers and remove seeds and whites from inside. Do not throw the tops. Puree about 1/3 cup of tomato pulp.
- In a big bowl put ground beef, rice, chopped onion, tomato puree, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix all the ingredients very well to unite.
- Stuff tomatoes and peppers put the tops on and place them in a big shallow saucepan. Add about 5 cups water and the remaining 2/4 olive oil. Put a small quantity of margarine on each tomato and pepper. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10’ and then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25-30’. In the end of cooking should have about 3 cups liquid remaining.
- Let cool for a while and remove stuffed tomatoes and peppers from the saucepan and carefully transfer them in another utensil. Pour the remaining liquid in a small saucepan and bring it over low heat. Whisk the egg white and when they start thicken add the egg yolks. Continue whisking and add lemon juice. Remove the saucepan with the liquid from heat and add, spoonful by spoonful, about the half quantity it in the egg lemon mixture stirring constantly. Then pour the egg, lemon, liquid mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining liquid. If you want to have have a thicker sauce add 1-2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch in the liquid. Just before you serve, pour on stuffed tomatoes and peppers a quantity of lemon egg sauce and… enjoy
See what other Food52ers are saying.