Saffron Rice, Corn and Goat cheese Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes great ideas just come to us. There we are, faced with a fridge full, or maybe not so full, of food and we decide there’s something that has to be done about it. Like the culinary super minds we all can be, sometimes things just happen to the best of their abilities. That’s when I realized, I like corn and goat cheese risotto, so why wouldn’t I like corn and goat cheese stuffed peppers.

Goat cheese and I have a funny relationship.  I used to pick a piece up, eat it and wonder why I was even eating it–tangy, strange, exceedingly creamy and a slight chalk appeal. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or I didn’t. Well, I really do like it, but it just took me about two years of picking through possibly spoiled pieces of goat cheese that weren’t lending a hand in making me want to eat it. And now that I’ve overcome the battle, goat cheese and I are on the same side, so here’s an elegant veggie meal or side dish, if you want to cut the peppers in half, instead of stuffing just whole ones, that would work as well.

Enjoy.

Saffron Rice, Corn and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

3 large green peppers
1 cup long grain rice
¼ cup goat cheese crumbles
Salt
Pepper
2 ears of corn, cut from the stalk
¼ cup minced shallots or red onions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons minced parsley
1 sprig thyme, taken off the stem
4-5 strands saffron 1 small pinch or Omit
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock or water

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tops off of bell peppers and clean out the seeds and core. Rinse off peppers and any excess seeds with water. Place on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of oil on hands and rub into the outside skins of bell peppers. Use more oil if necessary, then add salt and pepper. Cook in oven about 15-20 minutes until bell peppers begin to brown on the outside and become softer to the touch. I tend to keep peppers still a bit crunchy because I like that texture so increase time if you like softer peppers.

In a small sauce pan, place 1 tablespoon of oil at the bottom and heat on high, then add rice to pot and continuously stir, so that the rice begins to toast and brown slightly. Turn off pan at about 5 minutes and take off of heat. The rice will continue to brown a little, so keep an eye on it.  Browning the rice should take about 5-7 minutes total, creating a toasty warm brown color–not dark and not all grains have to be even.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized sauce pan, place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat, then add minced shallots in pan and cook stirring continuously, until shallots begin to caramelize about 5 minutes, then add corn to mixture and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add parsley and thyme leaves to mixture and incorporate well.

Add stock or water to pan. Mix together and taste. Add desired seasoning to the water or adjust stock seasoning with saffron, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Makre sure you can taste the salt in the water if using water or that your veggie stock is seasoned well because this is what gives flavor to the peppers.

When the liquid comes to a boil, add toasted rice. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, then cook for about 15-18 minutes, depending on the type of rice you are using (refer to packaging of the rice being used this may also decrease the amount of stock or water if using a different type of rice). Turn off heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and add 1/2 the goat cheese crumbles while mixing.

Then fill bell peppers with rice and sprinkle with the rest of the goat cheese. Cook in oven for about 5-8 minutes till cheese is browned and melted.

Depending on how big your peppers are, you will probably have extra rice left over.

I hope these find you well.

Cheers

Unrivaledkitch