Top of the Stove Stuffed Peppers

John told me that his mother used to make stuffed peppers in a big pot on top of the stove and that he'd never had them any other way until he met me. My mom used to make them in a pressure cooker and, as far as I'm concerned, my Mom's are the best I've ever had, so I thought I'd try this cooking method and see how it compared. Pressure cookers frighten me which is why I usually bake mine! I found my "base" recipe on allrecipes.com, it's called Saucy Stuffed Peppers and has some very good reviews, with several people saying this is how their Hungarian/Croatian etc. grandmothers used to make peppers. I've borrowed several of the reviewer's ideas and added a couple of my own.

Top of the Stove Stuffed Peppers

5-6 large green bell peppers
2 lbs lean ground chuck
3 tbsp dehydrated minced onions
Salt & Pepper to taste
6-oz can tomato paste
1 1/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/4 cup catsup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
46 oz bottle V-8
8-oz Chili Sauce
Water

Make a circular incision around the stem of the peppers and remove it and the seeds. Wash peppers inside and out and set aside.

Combine the chuck, onions, salt & pepper, tomato paste, rice, catsup, Worcestershire, garlic powder and oregano and mix until well combined. Stuff into each pepper and place in a heavy, fairly deep pot, stuffed side up.

Combine the V-8, chili sauce and enough water to cover the peppers and pour over them. If there is leftover meat, form into balls and add to the tomato juice around the peppers. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 hours, gently moving the peppers around in the broth every 30-45 minutes.

Results: Excellent! However, next time I'd omit the tomato paste...it was plenty tomato-y without it! John raved about it!