Nilda's Stuffed Peppers

4 green or red bell peppers

·         Salt

·          medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

·         1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

·         5 tbsp Olive oil

·         1 lb of lean ground beef

·         1 1/2 cup of cooked rice

·         1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

          1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp of dried oregano

·         Black pepper (to taste)

·         Dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem end, and remove seeds. Add several generous pinches of salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green (or red if red peppers) and their flesh slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool.

2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.

3 Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp. Oil inside peppers, arrange cut side up in a baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling. Combine Tabasco sauce, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over filling. Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes (or longer, depending on how big the peppers are that you are stuffing), until the internal temperature of the stuffed pepper is 150-160°F.

Serves 4.