This old family recipe came from one of my aunts, probably developed to be served as part of a meatless meal which dotted 19th century Italian immigrant cuisine. Auntie made a whole slew of these when she included them in a meal. I usually make two. That gives me dinner for today and either lunch or dinner tomorrow. You can multiply the ingredients, as needed, to make however many you wish to serve.

These do not freeze well because all the water-filled veggies turn to ice when frozen and then to mush when defrosted. Make it today and have one for dinner with a nice big piece of buttered crusty Italian bread.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large peppers (any color)rinsed,tops off and all insides removed
1/4 - 1/2 small head of cabbage (grated in the food processor)
1/3 cup grated Romano or GranaPadano cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of minced fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper
1 egg (beaten)

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of leftover or canned tomato sauce

Mix the cabbage, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour the beaten egg over the mixture. Stir it in. Fill the 2 peppers with this mixture. Pack it down with the back of a spoon until it's chock full. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the filling. Let it seep in.

Put the stuffed peppers into a covered casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the top of the peppers, letting it drizzle over and onto the bottom of the cassedrole dish. Cover it and bake for an hour to 1 1/2 hours, until there's no more crispness in the peppers and they are totally soft. The casserole lid can be removed for the last 10 minutes of baking time.

Let them rest for about 10 minutes before removing from the casserole. Place on a serving plate and cover with the tomato sauce remaining on the bottom of the casserole. Slice up a couple slices of bread and MANGIA (eat).

Have a look in these shops of castteam members who have delightful "pepper related" items in their shops.


FROM THE SHOP OF SANDYS CAPE COD ORIG
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61121466/chili-pepper-cocoon-and-hat-crochet


FROM THE SHOP OF CHOCOLATE DOG STUDIO
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96257371/coffee-cup-sleeve-coffee-cup-cozy-fabric


FROM THE SHOP OF EVER SEW SWEET
http://www.etsy.com/listing/85310535/childs-apron-bell-pepper-print-ready-to

by Rita of sammysgrammy