Thursday, September 8, 2011

Rainbow Pepper Boats

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.


Cumin is native to Egypt and has been cultivated in the Middle East, India, China and Mediterranean countries for millennia. Throughout history, cumin has played an important role as a food and medicine and has been a cultural symbol with varied attributes.

Cumin was mentioned in the Bible not only as a seasoning for soup and bread, but also as a currency used to pay tithes to the priests. In ancient Egypt, cumin was not only used as a culinary spice, it was also an ingredient used to mummify pharaohs.

Cumin seeds were highly honored as a culinary seasoning in both ancient Greek and Roman kitchens. Cumin's popularity was partly due to the fact that its peppery flavor made it a viable replacement for black pepper, which was very expensive and hard to come by. Cumin was also noted for both its medicinal and cosmetic properties. Its application to induce a pallid complexion was frequently employed by many students trying to convince their teachers that they had pulled "all-nighters" studying for their classes.

Although a much prized spice, cumin became a symbol of frugality and greed in ancient Rome. Both Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius, emperors with a reputation for their avarice, were given nicknames that included reference to cumin.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, cumin was one of the most common spices used. Around that time, cumin added another attribute to its repertoire—it became recognized as a symbol of love and fidelity. People carried cumin in their pockets when attending wedding ceremonies, and married soldiers were sent off to war with a loaf of cumin bread baked by their wives. 

Cumin's use for fortifying love is also represented in certain Arabic traditions in which a paste of ground cumin, pepper and honey is thought to have aphrodisiac properties.
While it still maintained an important role in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, the popularity of cumin in Europe declined after the Middle Ages. Today, cumin is experiencing renewed recognition owing to new found appreciation of its culinary and therapeutic properties.
By http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91

Rainbow Pepper Boats
Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (10.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup cooked rice
1 orange bell pepper, cut into half lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, cut into half lengthwise
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into half lengthwise


Directions:
In large skillet, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, over medium heat. Add ground beef, breaking meat up as it cooks. Cook meat until brown. Spoon off excess grease. Add onions, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Add fire roasted tomatoes. Stir in cooked rice. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean bell peppers, remove seeds and cut into half lengthwise. Place bell peppers on baking dish. Spoon meat mixture onto bell peppers. Place bell peppers in oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!



45 comments:

  1. Very informative Christine, Thank you :)

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  2. I was just thinking of making this very thing in mini peppers :-) Love stuffed peppers. Your recipe looks great. Thanks for all the interesting info on cumin.

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  3. Interesting and delicious recipe. I made Tuna Stuffed peppers the other night. They were easy and really good. Not sure why I don't make stuffed peppers more. They always turn out with a lot of flavor.

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  4. Stuffed peppers are so good! Love your recipe. I have been incorporating more and more cumin in my recipes lately. I enjoy the slightly smokey flavor it adds!

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  5. Sounds yummy! I love stuffed peppers!

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  6. I've never tried tuna stuffed peppers, I bet it is good. :-)

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  7. These look great! I made a version last week with spinach and arborio rice...and would love to try your version, too~

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  8. Love the Worcestershire in there! Yum!

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  9. YuM,i love all spice ingredients on these stuffed pepper,great recipe :)
    Ridwan

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  10. I am not a fan of stuffed peppers. But they have to be one of my Mom's favorite dishes! She would love this!

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  11. this is just so adorable! clearly the peppers are quite happy with their stuffing hehe

    xoxo

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  12. Hi Kelsey,

    Your comment made me giggle. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs!

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  13. These look pretty and sound delicious. I love using fire roasted tomatoes.

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  14. Hi Kathy,

    I was happy to see Aldi now carries fire roasted tomatoes... love fire roasted tomatoes.

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  15. Delicious! Cumin is one of my very favorite spices! When I make chili and similar dishes, I'm heavy on the cumin and light on the chili powder!

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  16. I love cumin, thanks for the history lesson! I just made stuffed peppers too :) Yours look wonderful!

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  17. Cumin is the number in my kitchen, everything esp with cooking veges, I tend to add it for the benefits and fragrant. Lovely outcome with the peppers you have done.

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  18. A delicious looking recipe and interesting facts to digest too! I love this kind of food.

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  19. I love this recipe for stuffed peppers, especially the cumin, It gives a lot of dishes, that smoky, warm flavor.

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  20. I do love some cumin....though paprika is up there in spice love for me too. Nice recipe.

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  21. Very pretty and I love finding new ways to use cumin.

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  22. I can smell the aroma of the stuffed peppers with cumin. I've given you an award, please checkout my blog. Congrats!

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  23. I love stuffed peppers. I am usually using couscous instead of rice. They look wonderful :P

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  24. Very pretty Christine - my kids would love these stuffed peppers, as would I!

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  25. Hi Veronica,

    Thank you so much. I'm happy and honored. Again, thank you.

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  26. These look great. Cumin is my second favorite spice. Garlic is easily number 1 for me.

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  27. Absolutely liked the flavor combination u used. It looks colorful and spicy yum!

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  28. I have not had stuffed peppers in years, these sound delicious.

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  29. Cumin is also one of my favorite spices, lots of great info on it. Your peppers look just lovely.

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  30. I just love red and yellow peppers! Even more so when stuffed with a tasty rice combo!

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  31. These peppers look great - I have been looking for a stuffed pepper recipe and I think this hits the jackpot. Can't wait to try it, thanks for sharing! :)

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  32. I LOVE cumin! Just marinated some chicken breast with cumin ;-)) Those stuffed peppers look so pretty and flavourful.

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  33. Congrats on the top 9! These look soooooo good!!

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  34. I love cumin and peppers and your post is very informative and looks great and the combinations sound and look sublime thank you and keep up the good work.

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  35. Congratulations on the Top 9! Well deserved:DDD
    Love your stuffed peppers!

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  36. Hey Everyone,

    Thank you so much! I appreciate you and your comments.

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  37. Congrats on making Top 9 today! :) What a great dish! You titled it correctly.. it does look like a rainbow. : )

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  38. Pretty! I'm keeping my eyes peeled for peppers at the market today!

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  39. HI Christine,

    I always get an education when I drop by your blog. Thanks for sharing.

    Alaiyo
    Pescetarian Journal

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  40. My mum makes stuffed peppers and I absolutely adore them. Your version sounds very intriguing - will have to try it your way next time!

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