DC Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

1 3/4 cup water
1 cup wild rice (We like Lundberg)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound Gwaltney or other brand of ground mild sausage
1/2 ground beef
1 16 oz can Hormel no beans chile (not the hot dog chile)
1 16 oz can whole tomatoes
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 16 oz can tomatoe sauce
1 8 oz can tomato paste
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon of anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon powdered coriander (cilantro)
1 tablespoon majorem
1 tablespoon sage
6 or 7 bell peppers

1. Toast wild rice in tablespoon of olive oil cooking on a medium high fire, stirring constantly (don't stop stirring) - the same way like you start out making Rice-a-Roni.

2. Add 3/4 cup water and turn fire down and cover rice.

3. While rice is simmering, mix sausage and ground beef in a skillet and cook on medium fire, adding some water (about a 1/4 cup) so that the meat cooks, but doesn't get hard.

4. While 2 and 4 are cooking, dump in the chile, tomatoes, sauce and paste into your crock pot. I usually use the high setting to get it started and turn it down later if necessary.

5. Stir molasses, anise, marjorem, sage and coriander into the crock pot.

6. After the meat is finished cooking, drain to taste (leave a little grease in for flavor) and put the meat into the crock pot. Stir well.

7. Taste to see if you need to adjust the seasonings in the paste. If anything, you might need some more molasses to sweeten it up a bit.

8. Right before the rice is dry (30 - 45 minutes) turn it off and let it sit. If you waited to long, add a smidge of water and/or butter.

9. The stuffing mix should take about an hour and a half (total time) to begin to be ready, and it can cook longer, if you turn down the setting on the crockpot. Use your cook's sense to see if it's ready. If this is the first time making this, give yourself 2 or 3 hours lead time. You can always turn it down.

10. Preheat oven to 325.

11. A few minutes before getting ready to stuff the peppers, mix the wild rice into the crock pot.

12. Using one of your large (preferable glass) bake dishes beging the stuffing process. Stuff each bell pepper (carefully - the sauce is HOT). The place the bell pepper onto the baking dish. Don't worry about the pepper spilling out it's contents. That'll happen. Continue until all of them are stuffed.

13. I like this part. Take the entire remainder of the stuffing mix and pour it over the bell peppers in the pan. (See why I said don't worry about the spilling).

14. Bake for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce. It may need less than 10 minutes, or it may need a little more. But, since everything is already cooked (except for the peppers - and we like ours crunch) then under cooking is not a problem. Over cooking will dry out the sauce - or worse, blacken the rice. Again, use your cook's sense here.

Tell me if you make this. Let me know if the flavor works for you or you have any suggestions. Email me at marlenatowson@gmail.com